A Different Sort of Love Story
by sissyHIYAH
Summary: Selphie said Quistis was too young for the mighty Galbadian general, Zell thought it was creepy, and Rinoa was just plain furious...after all, her father wasn't supposed to date her friends. Ew! Page breaks previously deleted by ffnet have been replaced.
1. Engagement Dinner

Note: Okay, at the end of the game, we have Rinoa/Squall, Selphie/Irvine, Zell/Library Girl. But what about poor, lonely Quistis? There are a lot of Seifer/Quistis stories out there, so I wanted to try something a little different. But honestly, how about some closure for Quistis, huh Square? Is that too much to ask? GRRR!

She was arguably the most mature out of the group, so I can see a relationship with an older man working out perfectly. I considered doing this with Laguna, but a story like that would only last for about two hundred words before Quistis would strangle him. Then, I thought, 'Holy shit, what about General Caraway?' And for both of my protagonists, this could lead to some nice, awkward moments with Rinoa. Mwahahaaa! Take that, Rinoa! Yeah, I'm not a big Rinoa fan, but I did always wonder why exactly she and her father didn't get along.

So, leave a review and let me know what you think. Like it, hate it, whatever. I love reading them. And the first chapter will probably be kind of short. Once I get the story straight in my head, subsequent chapters will be longer. Also, as far as ages go, I'm putting Quistis as early twenties, maybe 22 or 23. Caraway in his mid forties. If his age was ever given in the game, I don't remember it. I'm just guessing.

* * *

"Quit squirming Selphie! I could get this stain out if you'd hold still!" Quistis grabbed Selphie's arm, trying once again to dab at the large pink stain on the younger girl's dress. Thankfully Rinoa had decided to throw her glass of sweet rose blush into her father's face instead of the merlot, so the garment was still salvageable. Or it would be if Selphie would ever quit mimicking Rinoa's recent tantrum.

"Holy cow, Quisty! I've never seen Rinoa so mad! I thought she'd punch him for sure! She was all...'I don't need your damned money, _General._' and then POW!" Selphie watched the stain fade as Quistis' towel finally absorbed the wine. "I just wish her aim was better. I mean, I was just sitting there and SPLASH! I thought his assistant helper guy was going to totally freak out, but that General is one _smooth _operator. He didn't even blink! That's style, ain't it Quisty?"

Quistis shook her head. "Well, I don't understand Rinoa sometimes. Her father is obviously trying to make amends, but she seems to do something like this ever time he visits. Even Squall and Laguna are acting civil towards each other. You'd think that Rinoa could... "

"I know! He offered to pay for the whole damn wedding! I mean, the whole thing! Like flowers and dresses and..."

A single eyebrow arched at this interruption. "Yes, Selphie. I did understand what was implied by 'the whole damn wedding'. I was there too, remember?"

"Oh yeah! I forgot!" Selphie pouted briefly, then brightened when Quistis freed her dress. "Anyway, is that it?"

Quistis eyed her work. The stain wasn't completely gone, but it was enough for them to at least finish dinner. "Yes, it's the best I can do with just soda water. You'll have to send it to the cleaner as soon as possible."

"Great! Thanks Quisty!" Selphie jumped off the counter and tore out of the bathroom, eager to see Rinoa flip out again. She was so glad that Rinoa and Squall invited their little group to the engagement dinner. Garden could be so damn boring and it was nice to get out and enjoy a nice, pleasant meal.

Yes, a nice, pleasant meal-and one hell of a show. To be such a sweet girl, Rinoa sure could go crazy sometimes.

The wide mirror vibrated when the door slammed, making her reflection bounce. She reapplied her lipstick, sighing loudly when it didn't seem to help her appearance. She was upset and the harsh line between her disapproving eyebrows would let everyone know about it. Quistis considered Rinoa one of her best friends, but she lost all patience with her when it came to the way the slim brunette treated her father. His position as a high-ranking general in the Galbadian army was obviously not something former freedom fighter Rinoa could forgive.

Quistis thought Rinoa was spoiled. Plain and simple. She seemed determined to sever all ties with her military father, but at Squall's insistence, she still invited him to functions like her engagement dinner. Since the announcement of their upcoming nuptials, Squall was making an earnest effort to bring their families together. Quistis knew that Squall was eager to prove to his own wayward father that he could be the loyal family man that Laguna never was, even if it meant meeting the hated father of his fiancee on a personal basis.

At least Rinoa hadn't banished General Caraway from dinner this time. The wine thrown in his face was almost tame compared to the last dinner, where Rinoa knocked hot soup into his lap. She even mumbled a half-hearted apology when Quistis and Selphie yelled at her. Though whether it was because she mostly missed her father and soaked Selphie, Quistis wasn't sure.

Another part of Quistis was jealous. For the past few years, she had grown very close to the bubbly brunette, but she was still madly jealous about Rinoa and Squall, Rinoa and the general, Rinoa and her whole blessed existence. Having no memory of either of her parents, she would have been overjoyed to have someone be so concerned with her welfare or to offer thousands of gil to pay for her wedding. Quistis snorted at that thought. _Her _wedding. Humph. One actually had to have more than a one-sided, hopeless crush before contemplating marriage.

Yes, General Caraway was controlling, strict and very overbearing, yet Quistis would have loved for a parent to be so worried about her. True, he had once tried to lock Rinoa in his mansion to keep her from harm, but those were special circumstances. Instead of trapping his daughter, he had trapped Quistis and her friends. The corner of Quistis' mouth quirked in an amused grin. Perhaps she would ask the general if he knew that there was a way to break out of his mansion through the Deling sewer system. It might make for an interesting dinner conversation.

Surrendering to the fact that she couldn't fake a happy expression, she decided to just suck it up and finish dinner. After all, she wasn't invited to such swanky restaurants often, and dinner at _Balamb by the Bay _was certainly not a meal she wanted to miss. Entering the small hallway that separated the lavish dining room from the lavatories, Quistis found the general and his assistant in a heated conversation outside of the men's room. Even though their voices were hushed and low, she could still hear muttered curses and the occasional 'ungrateful whelp' and 'should have shipped her to military school'. Caraway sliced his hand at his sergeant, furious that he had the audacity to insult his little girl like that.

Too late to pretend she hadn't heard the argument, Quistis winced when the assistant glanced at her and threw his hands in the air. The general watched him leave, then turned to her and shook his head. His dark eyes were far from amused, but his deep voice was surprisingly light.

"Funny thing about Anthony, isn't it? He acts like _he _was the one who got a faceful of wine."

Quistis smiled, stunned by his attempt at humor. Rinoa always painted the general as an unpleasant, sarcastic, humorless jerk. The man standing in front of her seemed a bit gruff, yes, but far from hateful. "You _do_seem to be taking this very well, sir. Maybe he's upset that you aren't as angry as most people would be in the same circumstances."

Caraway smiled sadly and began walking back to the table, gesturing for her to walk with him. "Those happened to be the most words Rin has spoken to me since she left for Timber. She's not even... Well, I'm just glad that she decided to waste that horrible Winhill blush instead of the merlot."

Quistis laughed. "Oh yes, an insult is one thing, but wasting such a marvelous vintage is unforgivable." She was pleased to hear him chuckle at her pitiful joke. Laughter seemed to take several years off his worried countenance.

"Yes, I would be forced to disown her for that, Miss...I'm sorry. Squall told me when he made the introductions, and I remember your face from the Sorceress mission, but I've forgotten. What was your name again?"

"Oh, I'm so sorry sir!" Blushing, Quistis extended her hand to the general. She knew that their engagement was to be announced that night, but it was harder than she anticipated to actually hear Rinoa's clear voice say the words. And then to see Squall's soft smile... damn it. Every time she convinced herself that she was no longer interested in Squall, Rinoa had to give him a kiss or take his hand...or announce their bloody wedding. It was difficult for Quistis to remember manners and etiquette when her heart was breaking. Damn, damn, damn. "Quistis Trepe, sir."

"Trepe? Trepe... Oh yes, you're the instructor that taught Rinoa's boyfriend, aren't you?" Caraway warmly returned the handshake, his rough hands nearly enveloping Quistis' slim fingers. "You're also the youngest to ever make SeeD, if I'm correct."

Her blush deepened. At least _someone _noticed her hard work. "Yes sir." Pointing to the sullen girl sitting at the large table, Quistis said, "I'm sure she'll get over whatever is bothering her one of these days, sir. After all, she is getting married to Squ...to the love of her life in a few weeks, so she's bound to be much happier. She can't stay angry forever."

The slender blonde bobbed her head and left him to rejoin her friends, sitting down next to the tall Galbadian and his hyperactive, chattering girlfriend. Rinoa saw him look at the group, but she turned her head back to her fiancee, pointedly ignoring his gaze.

Caraway regarded the young instructor carefully. Her hesitation at using the name of Rinoa's boyfriend was subtle, but to a man trained to recognize cues and hints in order to identify allies from enemies, the slight pause was enough to make him wonder about her. Maybe he wasn't the only one miserable at this engagement party.


	2. Red Wine and a Smitten General

Note: FFwiki gave the general's full name as Fury Caraway. I'm not sure if this is correct, but I'm using it for this story. C'mon...a guy named Fury! How frickin' awesome is that?

* * *

"God, don't they serve hotdogs in this place?"

"No Zell."

"What about burgers?"

"I'm afraid not. This menu here is almost exclusively seafood."

"Urgh! Well, they should have fish sticks then, right?"

Quistis groaned when Zell flipped his menu upside down. Well dressed ladies and gentlemen at neighboring tables were eyeing the tattooed martial artist with disdain, smirking at his ignorance. Zell meant well, but trying to engage him a conversation that involved anything other than hotdogs, football, and his new T-board was trying her patience. She looked to her companions for help, but Rinoa and Squall were busily discussing guest lists and flowers, Laguna was regaling Edea and Cid with a tale of his wandering soldier days, while Irvine and Selphie had drifted off to the dance floor. Selphie didn't seem to care that her filmy white dress was still slightly stained, especially not when her handsome boyfriend told her that she looked so good in pink.

Quistis enviously watched them twirl and spin, wondering what crime she had committed to make Rinoa assign her the seat her across from Zell.

"What about shrimp and jalapeno poppers? Those are really good!"

Quistis sighed and righted his menu. "Zell. Don't do that."

"Why the hell not? These funny words can't be a real language. This shit has to be written in code." Zell squinted at the list, then he squinted at Quistis. Then he flipped the menu upside down again. "Hey Quistis! Give me your compact."

"What? Why?"

"Because I think you need a mirror to read this menu."

Quistis considered answering Zell with a quick slap to his forehead, but the waiter appeared to take their orders. Zell peeked over his inverted menu and looked at her with panic in his bright blue eyes. The waxed moustache of the server twitched in amusement. He was a professional snooty waiter that had a _lot _of experience in snootiness.

"Madamoiselle? Monsieur? What have you selected?"

Quistis sighed when the waiter turned his gaze from Zell to her slinky black dress. Great. Not only was he an asshole, but he was a voyeuristic pig as well. "Funny. I've lost my appetite, but my friend is famished. What do you recommend for him?"

The twitching moustache almost vibrated in smug pleasure. He didn't care if his tip suffered. Torturing customers that had absolutely _no _business in _The Bay _brought him far more satisfaction than any amount of gil. But even that torture couldn't compete with pissing off the blonde in the tight dress. As she became angrier and angrier with him, her breathing rate increased, giving the waiter a delightful view of her slim throat moving with those quick breaths. Lovely. "The ah, _fish sticks _are not the finest tonight, but I'm certain that the chef would be more than happy to prepare…"

"Bring him the halibut."

Zell grinned when the slithering moustache of the waiter trembled in fear. Rinoa's dad had finally emerged from the bathroom and was now standing behind Quistis, glaring at that jerk of a waiter. And Rinoa said he was a dickhead. Honestly!

"Why, G-Gen-General Caraway! I had n-no idea that these two were part of _your _party."

Quistis turned to see dark brown eyes fastened on the suddenly-timid waiter. With the exception of the sable hair, Quistis noticed that Rinoa looked nothing like her father. She must have received her dainty looks and almond eyes from her mother, because there was nothing fine or delicate about the man towering over the skinny server. Even though he had to be pushing his mid-forties, there wasn't a wasted ounce on the tall general.

"Place the order. Now. And bring a bottle of _Sylkis Syrah '99. _I'm in a red mood tonight."

The waiter stepped backwards, nervously bowing his head as he left. "Of course. So sorry sir. At once sir…"

Zell looked up to the general with wide-eyed adoration. He didn't know what a halibut was, but it had to be better than what he feared. After all, hal-i-but only had three syllables. It couldn't be too bad. "Hey! Thanks sir! I was afraid to order anything because I didn't want to end up with something crazy like snails or frog legs. They serve weird things like that in joints like this."

Quistis laughed to herself. If Zell only knew the types of mysterious meats the manufacturers put in his beloved hotdogs, he might reconsider his stance on fine cuisine. She watched the general move behind Zell, clapping a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"I hate to ask you, but would you mind trading seats with me? I'm afraid that Rinoa might not stop with wine the next time. She might actually chuck the bottle at my head."

Zell looked at the empty seats left by Irvine and Selphie, but said nothing. If the big, important general wanted his seat, then he was welcome to it. He couldn't blame him for wanting to avoid Rinoa when she was in one of her snits. "Sure thing, General Sir! I'll see if I can't put her in a better mood, Sir!"

Caraway waved away Zell's clumsy salute with a tired hand. "I wish you luck with that, lad. Now. Trade with me. I need a seat and my old bones are weary."

Quistis raised an eyebrow at this command. Even though he meant for the order to be taken as a jest, just a simple joke, she could tell that Caraway was not pleased by Zell's delays. This was a man accustomed to having his orders followed.

No questions asked.

Watching Caraway slide into Zell's chair, she thought that there wasn't a single part of him that seemed weary. Quistis thought he moved like a cat, all languid grace and latent ferocity. Shifting in her seat, Quistis thought that perhaps Rinoa was right to not trust a man like this. When his good humor ended and this cat showed his claws, Quistis imagined that his wrath was a fearsome thing to behold. There was something frightening about the mighty General Caraway.

Quistis glanced to the head of the table and saw Rinoa's face light up when Zell took her father's seat, noticing that Rinoa made it a point to look at Caraway with a huge grin before turning back to Squall and Zell. The part of Quistis that couldn't stand Rinoa's spoiled attitude turned to the general with a bright, welcoming smile. Whatever issues the girl had with her father, there was simply nothing to be gained by acting rude and unpleasant.

"Thank you for getting rid of that horrible waiter. This isn't exactly Zell's scene and he was uncomfortable enough without someone teasing him."

Caraway perused the menu with a practiced eye, his heavy eyebrows contracting slightly when he found nothing to tempt his appetite. "Yes, well. Judging from what they offer here, the halibut is the only decent thing I could suggest to your friend." Ever the disciplined soldier, he sat stiffly in his chair, placed the menu on the table and clasped his hands together. That damned waiter should have taken the menu with him. "I trust that Rinoa was the one to choose this restaurant."

"I believe so, sir. There are better restaurants in town, but she seemed so keen on this one."

"I thought as much. Rinoa knows that I despise seafood." Caraway's broad shoulders sagged slightly. "Julia loved it though, so I suppose that Rin takes after her in that respect."

Quistis watched his eyes quickly flash to the laughing figure of Laguna, who was waving his arms in a jerky impression of what could only be a marlboro's tentacles and to the quiet form of Squall, who was spellbound in Rinoa's presence. She was barely able to hear Caraway's soft voice as he observed the happy trio. It seemed to Quistis that he had forgotten that he was speaking to her.

"Among others, of course."

The waiter returned with the wine. Caraway snapped back to the present and sampled the crimson liquid, nodding his approval. When he offered to pour a glass, the general raised his hand.

"No. I'll pour it myself. Thank you." He filled his own glass, then looked to Quistis' merlot. Irvine didn't drink wine, so his glass was still empty. Caraway seized it and poured some syrah for the instructor. "Try this. If you like the merlot, then I'm sure you'll enjoy the _'99_. It is rather piquant, but I gather that you would enjoy a bit of flavor after that fairly bland conversation."

Her smile widened. Apparently the general had been standing nearby for quite some time if he was able to tell that she was bored to the point of insanity speaking with Zell. "Yes, I'm afraid that I can only discuss the merits of T-Boards versus public transportation for so long without going a bit mad. Thank you, sir."

She lifted the glass to her lips, breathing in the heavy scent before taking a small sip. The dark liquid was indeed much different than the merlotsshe favored, far more robust and a hell of a lot spicier. She closed her eyes and held the wine on her tongue for a few seconds, savoring the potent flavor. "This is very good sir. Thank you."

Caraway smiled at her obvious pleasure, glad to see that someone else at the table was willing to sample wine without throwing it in his face. The waiter began serving the rest of the table, setting down an array of marine delicacies to everyone but the instructor and himself. "Good. It's nice to see you enjoy it, but are you not eating?"

He noticed the pensive gaze of the instructor flit to the head of the table then quickly fall back to her glass.

Interesting.

Quistis set the crystal down and ran a single finger along the stem, lost in thought. "I simply don't have much of an appetite tonight."

Caraway watched her hands move, scrutinizing her shapely fingers and deliberate, repetitive movements. He wondered if she knew how to play the piano. Her long fingers were perfectly suited to the instrument. "Tell me, Miss Trepe. Are you musically inclined?"

Quistis' blonde head jerked up from her musings, startled by the odd question. "Am I...? Oh, I have _no _musical aptitude, sir. I drum my hands on the steering wheel when I drive, but that's about it." Sea blue eyes narrowed as she took another sip of wine. "Why do you ask, sir?"

Caraway lifted her hand from her glass so that she could better see her fingers, neatly encircling her wrist with his large hand. "You should learn the piano. You definitely have the hands for it. They remind me of Jul..." Flustered, he dropped her wrist and finished his wine. Pouring another, he drank off half in one gulp. Accepting Rinoa's invitation was a bad idea. He should have just had Anthony send a congratulatory card and flowers to the happy couple. Oh well, too late now.

"Since we've both decided that we aren't hungry, then perhaps we can enjoy an intelligent conversation while the others finish dinner. Rinoa refuses to speak with me and..."

"Oh Quisty! Come here! Hurry!" Selphie ran to the table, breathless and excited. "Oh Quisty! It's the greatest thing _ever! _Umm, Quisty? Is everything okay?" Her excitement dimmed when she saw that that mean old general's hand was right next to Quisty's. And he was _looking _at her funny! Eww! Quistis saw the general's eyes darken at the energetic girl's interruption, but Selphie either didn't notice or didn't care. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she grabbed Quistisby the upper arm and pulled hard.

"There's a man over by the window who thinks you are just the most gorgeous creature alive! And he's hot! I told him you were single and he told me that _he_ was single and he's really, really, really hot and he has the most _perfect _blue eyes like yours and he wants to dance with you! Come on, come on, come on!"

"Selphie! I'm in the middle of a conversation!" Quistis steadied her wine glass when Selphie's bouncing threatened to tip the contents onto the linen tablecloth.

"Yeah, but you're the only one out of all of us who didn't have a date tonight and now I found a date for you and he really, really, really likes you so come on!" Selphie finally succeeded in dragging Quistis to her feet, though it took a near superhuman feat of strength. "Great! Now you're up and now we can dance!"

Caraway watched the tenacious girl drag the unwilling instructor to the dance floor. A nice-looking young man with wavy hair was standing by, waiting for Selphie to make the necessary introductions. He bowed to Quistis and led her into a slow dance, failing to notice that she would not look at him, instead blankly inspecting the crowd as she was spun across the floor. Swirling the syrah in the goblet, Caraway leaned back and admired the way she faked her way through the dance. It was obvious to him that Miss Trepe was uninterested in the fellow, yet she moved with a sort of polite grace. He thought that she would make an excellent politician with her acting skills.

She glanced back and saw Caraway watching her, giving him an almost imperceptible amused shrug. A great actress and observant...hmm.

Farther back, he saw the shorter girl... Tilmitt, yes, that was her name... glaring at him. The general chuckled to himself.

"What do you think, Squall? It would be so pretty to have the ceremony on the beach, but then again, Winhill is soooo romantic. Of course I'll want to order flowers from there and then there's the cake..." Rinoa happily chattered away, ticking items off on her fingers. "...and I can talk to Selphie about the decorations and then I'll have to order dresses for the bridesmaids..."

"And who are you going to have for your bridesmaids, dear?" Edea patted Rinoa's hand, trying to turn the flow of wedding plans away from Squall before he became overwhelmed. He had already told her that anything she wanted was fine, any place she chose was fine, anyone she chose to invite...all fine. Edea thought that Squall was doing remarkably well; he was smiling and talking, answering questions and accepting congratulations with relative enthusiasm. Privacy was very important to him and he was still extremely uncomfortable discussing their plans at a crowded table in a busy restaurant. He looked to Edea with gratitude when Rinoa turned her attention to the former sorceress. "Have you decided yet?"

"Oh yeah! Selphie is my maid of honor, and I plan on asking Ellone once she finally makes it back from her trip. I've tried asking Quisty, but every single time I bring it up, she changes the subject or suddenly has some big meeting or important phone call. It's super frustrating!"

Edea smiled softly, pointing to Quistis, who had retaken her seat across from Caraway. "Why don't you ask her now? She's sitting across from your father."

Quistis was smiling at something the general said, nodding enthusiastically when he gestured with his hand. Rinoa's thin eyebrows contracted when she saw the general engrossed in such an animated conversation. He never spoke unless it was about war or Galbadian politics. And was he smi...? Holy cow. He was. He was _smiling _at Quisty! Rinoa didn't think the fierce general was capable of moving his lips in anything but a scowl. Unless, of course, he was ordering troops to massacre innocent civilians or using his influence to promote another crooked senator or statesman. Then he probably _beamed._

What the hell was going on down there? She tried to listen to their conversation, but the hum of the dining room and Zell's loud chewing drowned out their voices.

Rinoa slapped Zell in the arm. "Zell!"

Mouth full of grilled halibut, which had turned out to be _awesome_, Zell looked up from his plate in surprise. "Hm? What?"

"Why did you trade seats with that man?"

"He ashed me to sho he could resht hish weary bonesh." Zell swallowed when Rinoa frowned at him, nearly choking on his dinner. "I mean, he said he was tired and he wanted to have a seat."

"But he was assigned to sit here! I had to place his seat next to me because Squall thought it was important. Why did he make you move?"

Zell made sure that Rinoa's wineglass was empty before he replied. "Well...he thinks that you're mad at him, you know, 'cause of the wine in the face and all that, so he asked me to swap. But I don't get why he wanted_me _to move. He could have taken Irv's seat or just sat at the..."

Zell leaned over his plate, peering at the general, who was busily arranging glasses and plates in a peculiar pattern on the tabletop. Quistis moved a fork between two plates and pointed forcefully at the arrangement, then laughed when Caraway moved one plate to the other side of the fork. He didn't seem tired _at all _to Zell, especially not when he summoned the waiter for another bottle.

"...yeah! Why _did _I trade with him? He could have sat at the bar or in Selphie's chair or asked Quistis to trade with..." Zell's eyes widened as he saw Caraway pouring another glass of wine for the pretty teacher. A terrifying thought occurred to him. "You don't think...Rin? He's not hitting on Quistis is he? That's so freakin' creepy! He's like, old and she's well...she's Quistis!"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Zell. He probably has some gold-digging floozy waiting for him in his hotel room. I wouldn't put it past him. Besides, Quisty would never even look at someone as evil as him. I'm sure she's just being polite." Rinoa chewed her lower lip and continued to watch her father talk to Quistis, who _did _seem to be enjoying herself. Weird.

Edea looked from Rinoa to Caraway and Quistis, then back to Rinoa. "Dear, please don't stare like that. Your father seems to be having a lovely time."

Rinoa's jaws clenched together. "I can see that."

"Well, don't make another scene. This is a happy event, remember? We're here to celebrate your engagement, not open old wounds."

"I shouldn't have listened to Squall. That man should have stayed in Deling where he belongs." Edea gave Rinoa's hand a tight squeeze. "Let them talk. Perhaps he is only speaking with Quistis because you have so far refused to listen to him."

Rinoa exhaled loudly, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. "Fine. If he wants to talk, then I'll talk. I'll do anything to get that man out of Balamb."

* * *

Caraway moved Quistis' fork out of the way and substituted two dessert spoons, pointing the bowl of one slightly to the left. A small bread plate was serving as the vicious Trabian horde while the spoons represented the forces of ancient Esthar.

"Now, I still maintain that if they had divided the cavalry into two units, sending one north and one to the east..."

He pushed the spoons until they met beside the curve of the plate. "...they would have been able to suffocate..."

Quistis rolled her eyes and seized one of his spoons. "No, General. The cavalry would never have succeeded."

Caraway raised a single eyebrow. _Nobody _interrupted him. Not his sergeants, not his leutenants, and certainly not some brash, impertinent woman. He glared at her, noticing that she didn't quake in fear like his soldiers, nor did she recoil when he scolded her.

"Are you actually _arguing_ with me? I've lead forces almost as long as you've been alive and I'm telling you that..." She slowly sipped her wine, examining him over the rim of the glass. "And in which month did that battle occur, General?"

"May. On the thirteenth, if the records are correct." Caraway slid the plates and cutlery to the side, staring intently at the instructor. Where the hell was she going with this?

"And in what type of terrain did the battle occur?" Quistis finished her wine and stared right back at the general. It really was an _excellent_ wine; heady and sweet, but still not quite as sweet as knowing that she was right about that long-ago battle.

"Low mountains, valleys, vegetation was fairly sparse that far north in the Bika plains..." Caraway drifted off, suddenly realizing why the disciplined Estharian soldiers had been defeated by a ragtag bunch of Trabian savages. Of course.

She smiled and Caraway found himself thinking that the plum tint on her lips was very, very attractive.

"Exactly. Both sides suffered the heaviest casualties at the bottom of a ravine that had recently been flooded by the spring thaws. Those heavy armored horses would have been stuck in the quagmire, wouldn't they? The Estharians had marched too far into Trabian territory to retreat, so they had no choice but to charge with their infantry when they met the tribesmen. Their mighty cavalry was useless. But if they had waited another month or so before attempting the invasion, then they could have used the strategy you just proposed. The Estharians might have won that battle then, but they were a bit too impatient, weren't they, sir?"

Beautiful _and _brilliant. Well, well, well. This girl was dangerous indeed. Impressed, Caraway asked, "What subject do you teach, Miss Trepe?"

"She teaches and that should be enough information for you, General."

Rinoa took Irvine's empty seat and crossed her arms. "Well, you wanted to talk. So talk, then you can leave."

Caraway pulled his eyes off Quistis' mouth and regarded his daughter. There was nothing of him to be found in her dark features, save perhaps for his black hair and quick temper. She was Julia's child through and through, except when she decided to argue with him. She had denied his name since she was five years old, but when she was angry, there was no way she could deny her Caraway blood.

"I'm afraid I don't understand the problem, Rinoa. You didn't want to speak to me, so I came down here, where your friend has been most obliging."

"Ooh! You just wanted to throw some money in my face so I would owe you. I'm not that stupid, General." Caraway leaned back in his seat, crossing his own arms.

Quistis smiled at the mirrored body language of father and daughter. "Oh, come on, Rinoa! Lots of fathers offer to pay for their daughters' weddings, I'm sure that he..."

"That man is _not _my father. He was my mother's husband and now he's just..." Rinoa took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. It wasn't Quisty's fault that she hated the man sitting across from her. "I'm sorry, Quisty. But you just don't know what he's like."

Quistis glanced at Caraway, noticing the silver hair at his temples and the lines around his mouth, then she looked at Rinoa's pretty features, set in a very unpretty scowl. Had Julia ever looked at the general like that, with that odd mixture of hurt and animosity? Or had she only looked at him with love and affection?

Julia's story was as almost as well-known as her songs; the lounge singer that met and loved a soldier, lost contact with him during a war, then met and married a powerful general. Her death in a violent car crash had stunned the world and sent fans wailing about their lost idol, but their lives weren't broken because of it. Quistis knew that this was the event that shattered the relationship between father and daughter, but Rinoa never discussed it with anyone except Squall. Jealousy was forgotten in sudden pity and Quistis grabbed Rinoa's hand, squeezing gently.

"Oh, I know you meant nothing by it, Rinoa. Couldn't you at least _try _to make peace for a bit? At least until you're married. It would mean so much to Squall."

Caraway watched Rinoa's brown eyes glance to the head of the table. He had seen that same look on Julia's face when she thought about...that soldier.

Rinoa closed her eyes and muttered something under her breath. Opening the cocoa orbs, she forced them to her father. Her teeth were clenched, but she still spoke to him. "Fine. I'll be nicer, but only for Squall, not for you."

"Fine. And will you allow me to pay for your wedding? I do want you to have a beautiful ceremony, Rin. I think I owe it to you and your mother. Please."

Quistis felt Rinoa's hand shake in hers. "Just think about, Rinoa. I'm sure you can answer him later."

Rinoa nodded and stood to return to Squall, murmuring a quick good night.

Quistis gathered her purse, eager to leave and crawl back to her hotel room. The past three hours had been absolutely miserable for her, except for correcting the general. That was almost fun.

Seeing her intentions, Caraway pushed his chair back and quickly moved to the other side of the table. He extended his hand to assist her to her feet, smiling when she blushed. She really was a lovely woman. "I must thank you, Miss Trepe. Rinoa hasn't been...well, she...never mind."

His smile grew wider when she laughed.

"She would have done it anyway, sir. I do believe that she wants to make things right with you, but it might take her a while to get to know you again. You'll have to be patient, sir." Quistis stopped once more to congratulate Rinoa and Squall, then waved good night to the rest of her friends.

Caraway sat back down and watched her leave. He saw the imprint of her lips on the crystal wine goblet that had also previously served as a Galbadian regiment during one of their discussions.

Oh, why the hell not?

His mumbled 'Excuse me' went unheard by the rest of the party, who were laughing at another of Laguna's tales. He swiftly exited the restaurant and saw Miss Trepe trying to hail a cab.

"Miss Trepe! One moment please!"

Confused, Quistis turned to see the general quickly walking out of _The Bay_. "Is there a problem, sir?"

"No problem at all. I just wondered...since neither of us have eaten anything, would you like to grab a quick bite somewhere?"

Quistis felt her cheeks burn. Was he asking her... oh God. It had to be the wine. Yes, just the wine. Surely he wasn't... But he _was _rather handsome, now that she thought about it. He had that sort of quiet, dignified air that she found so damn appealing in men. And the silver and sable hair _did _suit him. And she really, really, really didn't want to just go back to the hotel and watch bad late-night movies alone and cry about Squall. Alone. She tilted her head and carefully looked at him. Just getting some food wouldn't hurt anything. Would it?

Caraway mentally slapped himself. She was only being polite to him earlier. "Of course. I understand. At least let me offer you a ride home. Anthony is waiting by the car and..."

"I'd love to."

"What?"

* * *

"Darlin', there ain't any reason to get all riled up. I bet he just walked her to a cab." Irvine tried to convince Selphie to return to the dance floor with him, but the spunky brunette was determined to follow Quistis and that horrible general. She couldn't believe it when she saw that old man follow Quisty out of the restaurant. Eww!

"No Irvy. He was _looking _at her!"

"Well, lots of fellers look at her."

"Not like this!"

"Well, so what if he did!"

"EWWW! He's old, Irvy!"

Irvine rolled his eyes.


	3. Roses

_Pop!_

_Pop!_

_Pop!_

Rinoa sat on the edge of Quistis' office desk, twirling a strand of hair around her fingers, waiting for the instructor to give her an answer. Quistis tried to ignore her, but every few seconds Rinoa would sigh loudly and blow another enormous pink bubble. "C'mon Quisty. You may as well give it up because I won't quit until I solve this little mystery. I'm on a mission, you see."

Quistis swatted Rinoa on the hip. "You're sitting on my exams, Rin. I have to finish grading these before my next class. Slide over."

Rinoa giggled, but allowed Quistis to jerk her papers from under her backside. "Oh no! Don't try to change the subject! You've gotten flowers nearly every day for five weeks and you have been going out of town an awful lot lately. Who is he? I need to know so I can invite him to the wedding!" Rinoa watched Quistis raise her right eyebrow, which was an almost certain sign that she was getting irritated. Good. Maybe she'd get so wound up that she'd let his name slip. She pressed harder. "And you've been in a _really _good mood, so he must be pretty good in…"

"Hmm…are you saying that I'm normally a bitch?" Quistis marked a test with a bit too much force, jabbing her red pen through the paper. Damn. Why wouldn't Rinoa go bother Squall for a while? She was all over him any other time. Why was her social life of such sudden interest to the future Mrs. Leonhart? Didn't she have a wedding to plan?

"What? No! I just meant that…"

"Oh, relax Rinoa. I understood you perfectly. And no, we've not made it to _that_ point just yet. Just a few dinners and a couple of plays." The corner of Quistis' mouth turned up in a very slight grin. Yes, he had been a perfect gentleman. With that damned assistant of his lurking everywhere, it was difficult for him to be anything _other _than a perfect gentleman. Quistis thought they would soon have to don disguises just to escape Anthony's watchful eye. Every time they tried to do something as simple as play cards, the sergeant or one of his men would be watching and waiting. It seemed that privacy did not exist at the Caraway mansion.

The sergeant argued that potential assassins lurked everywhere, _including _the pretty soldier that Caraway was dating. She countered that between her mercenary training and his years of military experience, Caraway would be safe from harm long enough for them to enjoy a play or a movie without a watchdog. The general had even ordered Anthony to remain at his office so he could take Quistis to dinner one night, but they saw him tailing them after only thirty minutes.

She chuckled at the memory.

* * *

Taking her seat at _Cicero's, _Quistis had asked, "God, does he shadow all of the women you date? Or should I be flattered that he has taken such a special interest in me? If I try to take your arm or reach for my purse, will I find a bullet in my head or will he just shoot me with a poisoned dart?" She turned to see Anthony watching her from the coat check, standing stiffly with his arms crossed. "What the hell have I _done_?"

Caraway was very displeased with Anthony's refusal to stay at the office. "If he keeps this up, I'll have him stationed at D-District faster than he can say _yes sir_." The general looked over her shoulder and made a slashing motion with his hand. Anthony glowered, but stepped out of their line of vision to wait by the exit. "He has _never _disobeyed a direct order before."

Taking Quistis' hand, he lightly brushed his lips across her fingers, pleased when that deep line between her brows disappeared. Releasing her, he watched those long fingers absently tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear before she began reading the menu. Caraway noticed that she had worn contacts instead of her glasses. Without the thin metal frames, he was able to appreciate the shape of her eyes and the long lashes around those beautiful blue irises. She had extraordinarily dark lashes for someone with such a fair complexion. "He must be really worried about you, Madame Assassin. He probably thinks that you're going to gun me down in the middle of the main course. I do hope you'll reconsider, because I plan on ordering the veal and I rather hoped to end the night on a happier note."

Quistis raised a mischievous eyebrow and playfully threatened him with her salad fork. "Oh, don't worry about that, Fury. I don't think I could hide a gun anywhere under this dress without you noticing. Besides, I'll at least wait until you've finished dessert before I try anything." He looked down at her dress and then back to her face, smiling when he considered that she was right. There was no possible way she could conceal a weapon, but that didn't mean that he was opposed to checking, provided that they could somehow shake Anthony.

She swallowed hard when he took the fork from her hand and trailed his fingers along her wrist, looking at her with an intensity that made the blood rush to her cheeks. "If he'll ever actually let us _get _to dessert, you mean." He seemed like he wanted to say more, but the waiter arrived with their drinks and the moment was lost. Quistis sighed when the conversation drifted back to politics and government affairs, the state of the fragile Dolletian-Galbadian peace treaty, and the welcomed cessation of resistance from Timber.

* * *

Oh well, maybe later.

Quistis' thoughts were interrupted by Rinoa's excited squeal. "Ah ha! You're blushing! There _is _someone! I knew it! So who is he? Is it that senator from Trabia? He was very, _very _happy to meet you at that diplomatic summit. Or is it that player for the Galbadian Lions you met last summer? I know he was kind of grabby and a little rude, but he's still really cute!"

"Neither." Another correction. If they kept making mistakes like this, Quistis figured that she would have to repeat her lecture on junctioning. The Trepies were worse than normal this semester, spending their class time writing love letters and poems instead of taking notes. And Rinoa's insistence on asking personal questions while she was trying to complete her work wasn't helping her mood in the least.

"Well then...he is cute, isn't he? Please tell me that he's cute!" Rinoa clapped her hands and bounced on the desk. Ooh! Finally! Quisty had found somebody! How exciting! There were times that she feared Quistis was doomed to a life of spinsterhood and grading papers. Yuck, how boring!

Quistis placed her chin in her hand and considered this question. Hmm...cute? Caraway was tall, brooding, stern, and solemn. He could be surly and unpleasant, his temper was sometimes frightening, yet she still found him absolutely fascinating. On the rare occasions when he would smile, Quistis thought the inky pools of his eyes seemed lit by a submerged golden light. The lines in his face would fade and he seemed years younger. Cute? No. He was striking, maybe. Handsome, _definitely_, but not cute.

The general was very strict, expecting everyone around him to adhere to a rigid set of rules. And if his subordinates and officers thought he was harsh with them, it was _nothing _to what he expected of himself. He followed a near-draconian exercise regimen that allowed him to make appearances at training camps and put his troops to shame during their drills, unwilling to let any be swifter or stronger than him. That was fine with Quistis, who enjoyed the fact that he took better care of his body than men half his age. She had felt those solid muscles under his dress uniform when he would take her dancing and wondered how many laps he must daily swim to maintain such a toned belly and sculpted shoulders. And she was very, very fond of that silver hair that brushed his temples and highlighted the copper flecks in his dusky dark eyes.

And those same dark eyes that captivated her infuriated her as well. Quistis knew that he was devoted to his wife and loved her deeply, yet she was tired of constantly coming in second to the Heartilly women. Caraway would sometimes stare at Quistis like she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen, but then he would hear one of Julia's songs or they would walk by one of her favorite shops and he would seem to forget that he was courting a blue eyed instructor, not the memory of a brown eyed singer. There were times when she felt like she was finally getting over Squall, especially when the general would sneak away from Anthony long enough to whisper a compliment in her ear or slide his fingers through her hair. He would chuckle at her caustic observations about the politicians swarming his offices and grin when she teased him about the many tedious meetings he was forced to attend with these same politicians. But there were also occasions when she would feel as lonely with Fury as she ever had around Squall, especially when he would play his worn, beloved records.

She couldn't compete with that beautiful ghost with the siren voice.

Quistis wondered what was wrong with her. She had been told that she was attractive, if sometimes a bit aloof. She knew that she was clever and witty, if sometimes a bit sarcastic. But there were enough positive traits to balance the negative traits, weren't there? So why couldn't she find the deep love Rinoa and Squall shared? Or the careless and wild affection that kept Irvine and Selphie together? Or even the shy, bumbling love of Zell and his bookish girlfriend? Why couldn't Fury forget his dead wife and love her? What did she do that was so wrong? That dinner was the closet she had ever felt to being desired by anyone, and even that didn't last more than a few seconds. Why wouldn't he open those beautiful dark eyes and see her instead of Julia Heartilly?

No. Fury Caraway wasn't cute. Not at all.

"Quisty? Yoo hoo!" Rinoa waved her hand in front of Quistis' face, trying to bring her back into the present. "Wow, he must be really be something for picky Quisty to get all starry-eyed. Who is he? Why won't you let any of us meet this guy? Is he…"

_WHAM!_

The door to Quistis' office was thrown open and Xu entered, struggling with a gigantic bouquet of scarlet roses, loudly cursing all florists and all love-struck fools. "Alright Q. I'm _not _your personal flower girl. You tell this guy that if he's going to keep doing this, he had better send someone along to carry these damn things. Preferably a really hot guy that likes to give massages to administrative secretaries named Xu." Rinoa leapt off the desk to snatch the arrangement, but Quistis grabbed her by the hair and crawled over her desk, knocking papers and pens to the floor. "Damn it Xu, give me that envelope!" Two pairs of hands reached for the envelope, but Xu pulled back before Rinoa could grab the embossed paper. Whew. That was a close call. Almost too close. Xu knew that Quistis didn't want Rinoa to find out about her relationship with the general until she was sure that Rinoa wouldn't flip her pretty lid.

"Ouch! Holy jeez, Quisty! I was just curious!" Rinoa rubbed her head and glared at Quistis, who had opened the envelope and was eagerly checking the contents. She craned her neck to see if there might be a signature or a note, but all she could see were two tickets and a huge smile spreading on Quisty's face. Ooh! Who _was _he? She had _never _seen Quisty smile like that. "What did he send you? What are those tickets?"

Quistis leaned against her desk and tapped the tickets in her palm, trying to see Xu's face through the wall of silken petals and emerald stems. "He wants to take me to the opera this weekend."

Xu snorted. "The opera? Oh god, Q. Wouldn't you rather go to a thrash metal show instead? We always have a great time when we…"

"Oh no, Xu. The last time we went to one of those, I ended up with a bloody nose and I had to bail you out of jail for sending that guy to the hospital."

"Well, he shouldn't have elbowed you like that."

"We were in a mosh pit, Xu. I don't think he meant to do it."

Xu grinned. "Yeah, well I didn't mean it either. We _were _in a mosh pit after all. I couldn't help it that I just happened to umm, mosh a bit harder than he did. I _tried_ to explain that to the cops, but they wouldn't listen."

Quistis put the tickets on the desk and took the roses from Xu, chuckling at her best friend. "_Right_, Xu. It was all an accident. Anyway, you know I've wanted to go to the opera since I was fourteen."

Burying her face in the ruby blossoms, Quistis inhaled the sweet aroma and thought about deep brown eyes and an even deeper voice. In spite of the pain he sometimes caused her, Quistis missed seeing Fury while she worked. The weekend couldn't come fast enough, especially now that she knew he bought those tickets just to please her. "Oh, I've wanted to go for ages, but…I really don't have anything to wear. God, I'll have to go shopping."

Xu rolled her eyes. She had never understood why Quistis listened to that shit. It didn't even sound like music. They didn't have crowd surfing and they sure as hell didn't have security guards at operas. Where was the fun in going to a show if you didn't even get to worry about getting thrown out on your ass? "You wouldn't need a fancy dress in a mosh pit, Q. Just a pair of jeans and a set of brass knuckles. And don't forget what I said. The next time he sends you this many roses, he had better send a muscular, oiled-down sex slave to help me carry them." Flowers delivered and requisite smart-ass comment made for the day, she stuck her tongue out at Quistis and left to complete her own paperwork. Quistis laughed and bent to retrieve her crumpled exams from the floor. "I guess that means that Xu won't help me pick out a dress. Remind me to kick her ass later."

"Ooh! Shopping trip! What time do you get finished today? We can find a dress for your date, then you can tell me his name!"

"Nice try, Heartilly." Quistis made a few more corrections and placed the tests in a folder. She was asking too many questions again. Quistis sniffed her roses one more time, then escorted Rinoa into the hallway. Walking to her classroom, she asked, "Have you spoken to your father about paying for the wedding? The dresses you selected are _very _expensive, Rinoa."

Rinoa's bright smile dimmed. "Yeah. I agreed, but I'm going to make him pay for the most expensive wedding in _history_. And there's a designer in Deling City that has promised to make your dresses from the rarest materials he can find! So, Caraway will be paying a lot of gil for that! I'm glad you finally decided to be in the wedding, Quisty. I was beginning to think that I might have to ask Irvine to be one of my bridesmaids."

Quistis bumped her shoulder into Rinoa's, knocking her gently into the wall. She laughed when Rinoa returned the bump, nearly forcing the folder from her arms. "Well, I couldn't do that to poor Irvine, even though he would probably enjoy the oppportunity to dress in drag. Besides, you wouldn't have called your father if I hadn't let you blackmail me. I'm sure you've made him very happy, Rin."

"Why is it such a big deal to you if that man is happy?" They reached Quistis' classroom and stepped back so the last few students could run through the door. Instructor Trepe was infamous for giving pop quizzes because of tardiness.

Quistis hesitated. She did enjoy seeing Fury happy, but there was much more to it than just making him smile. She desperately hoped that reconciliation with Julia's daughter would perhaps be enough for him to let Julia herself become just a memory. Until Fury was able to make some sort of peace with himself, she wouldn't have a chance at happiness with him. Her voice was very low when she replied to Rinoa's question, each syllable shaking with violent envy. "I just…I really would like it if you guys could make peace with each other."

"Oh God, Quisty. It's not that simple. When I was around fourteen, I begged him to retire from the army, but he continued to serve Deling, even though he knew that the murdering bastard was planning to invade so many territories and kill so many people. Once Mom was killed, he turned into this…this…cold-hearted...Ooh! It was like someone flipped a switch. Daddy disappeared and there was only the general to take care of me. I wasn't Rin anymore. I was just a…fixture." Rinoa ran her fingers through her hair and sighed loudly. "Anyway, if you only knew what a controlling jerk he can be, then you might be able to see why I don't want anything to do with him."

Two more students ran in the door, happily greeting their favorite teacher as they entered. After a semester learning defensive maneuvers, they were finally scheduled to practice offensive spells in the training center that afternoon. "Hey Instructor! Are we gonna get to shoot each other with ice spells today?"

Quistis shooed them inside before the last bell, then turned back to Rinoa with sad, lonely eyes. "Do you hate your father, Rin?"

Did she? No. She hated the general, not her father. The little girl inside Rinoa that used to have tea parties with her daddy and feed the ducks in the park felt something shatter. Her own voice started to crack when she saw the sincerity and longing in Quistis' expression. "N-no, I don't hate him, but I just… I just don't know…"

Quistis dropped her exams to the floor and gave Rinoa an unexpected, fierce hug. It surprised both women, but they held tightly to each other while the final bell echoed through the rapidly emptying halls. "_Please_, Rinoa. I know he's far from perfect, but he's recently attempted to make things a bit better. I know it doesn't make up for years of enmity, but what good is it going to do for you to continue like this? You completely ignore the gift you have, broken as it may be. I would kill to be able to meet my parents just _once_." A quick peck to the top of Rinoa's dark head and Quistis released her, giving her a final bleak smile. "I have to get to class, but you will come shopping with me later, won't you Rin? Please? I want to talk you some more. I have some things I need to tell you."

Rinoa nodded, holding back tears as Quistis retrieved the exams and entered her classroom. There was a flat smack as the folder was slammed to the desk and Quistis' normally soft voice began barking harsh commands. The automatic door closed and she could hear the class groan as they learned that their practical lessons would be postponed while they had a quiz. The tears started to fall and Rinoa fled to her fiancee's office. She wanted Squall. She wanted her mother. And for the first time since she was five years old, she wanted her daddy. Damn it all. How did Quisty make her do that?

* * *

"Ooh! What about this one?"

"Oh no, Selphie! That's horrible!"

"It is not! Besides, you _like _pink!"

"Not for something like this!"

"Well, if he's as wonderful as Rinoa says he must be, then you won't even be wearing it for long!" Selphie shook a bright pink dress in Quistis' face, losing patience with her picky, picky, picky friend. "Irvy! Tell her!" Irvine rolled his eyes and drifted to another area of the shop to see if Rinoa wanted to have a less-violent conversation. When Selphie got upset, things had a tendency to explode.

"You don't understand, Selphie. I don't want to go into that music hall dressed like the world's biggest cotton candy. I'd like to look like I have a bit of class."

"Oh, come on, Quisty. You practically _bleed _class. You're the most sophisticated chick I know. I bet you could strut in there wearing nothing but a bow tie and a smile and nobody would notice." Selphie tossed the pink monstrosity to the floor and began shuffling through silk, satin and velvet. "Hey! How about this one?"

"No."

"Okay...umm...this one?"

Quistis sighed. "No, Selphie. I'm beginning to think that we should try somewhere else."

Irvine loped back to Quistis and carefully eyed her figure as she continued to search for something suitable. Selphie threw a sequined skirt at his head when she saw him look at her friend like that, knocking his beloved hat to the floor. Oh ho! Well, if she wanted to play, then he'd play. "Easy, darlin'! I was just trying to figure out her size. She looks like a six to me, but..." He held his hands up and framed Quistis' waist, making her jump. "Yep. She feels like a six too."

"Don't you give me that, Irvy! You know I don't like it when you get all flirty!" Selphie smirked at Irvine when Quistis slapped him. "And it looks like Quisty doesn't like it either!"

"I wasn't flirtin'! I found a dress that would look good on her. Ask Rin! She'll tell you!" Hearing the commotion, Rinoa brought the garment to show Selphie before she strangled Irvine. She held the pearly white dress to Quistis and judged the color and cut of the dress. Good. Quisty seemed pleased with the simple style and shimmering satin. "He's right, Sef. See? Don't get so mad at him. I'm the one that told him to ask her size." Pushing Quistis to a dressing room, they left the pair to finish their fight. Their arguments always ended with Irvine wearing nothing but his hat, so she didn't understand why they even fought as much as they did. Sometimes she just didn't understand her friends.

"Oh, he asked alright! Didn't you, _Irvy Pervy_?"

Irvine grinned and winked at Selphie. She was so damn pretty when she was angry. "My mama always told me that it was rude to ask a woman her dress size."

"What the hell do you mean, your mama? You grew up in an orphanage!"

"Well, it was _somebody's _mama, at least. Might have been from a movie." Irvine shrugged when Selphie corrected him. He loved to tease his little darlin' and see her green eyes darken and flash. Things were always a bit more...interesting when Selphie Tilmitt was on an 'I'm-mad-at-Irvy' rampage. Jerking his thumb to the dressing room, he said, "I think that dress will be perfect for her, so they really don't need us hanging around anymore. And Rinoa mentioned something about talking to Quisty, so I bet they want a little privacy. You want to get out of here and let them finish shopping?"

Selphie elbowed his ribs before taking his arm and dragging him to look at an absolutely darling saffron top that would perfectly match her boots. She couldn't let him think that he had charmed her just like that! It wouldn't do at all. "We'll leave, but only when I'm ready, cowboy."

"Oh." Irvine waited. Three, two, one...

"So, ready to go, Irvy?"

"Yep!"

* * *

"You want to go where?"

"Deling City."

"No, Rin. I understood that part. What was the second part again?"

"You mean the opera part?"

"Why do you want to go there?"

"Oh, I just thought we could use a little culture. Broaden our horizons, all that stuff."

"I don't want to spend all night listening to a woman in braids sing about some ring." Squall squinted at Rinoa as she twirled noodles on her fork. The fork was turned until she had what seemed to be a pound of pasta twisted around the tines. She didn't fool him for a second with that culture bit. "And I know you don't either."

"Ooh...fine! I want to go because that's where Quisty is going to meet her mystery man." Rinoa lifted the fork and tried to cram a mound of linguine the size of her fist into her mouth. Cheeks bulging, she glared at her fiancee, daring him to say anything about her motives.

Squall pinched the bridge of his nose. "Leave her alone about that, Rin. I'm sure that she'll tell you when she's ready. Quistis is kind of...private when it comes to her love life." Squall was thankful for the discretion of his former instructor. In spite of what she had told everyone, he knew that she still felt a bit more than simple platonic affection for him. If Quistis had been the spiteful sort, she could have made it embarrassing for both of them. But at least she seemed to realize that they could never be more than just friends. And hopefully this fellow, whoever he was, would be able to help her get completely over him. If Rinoa would leave her alone, Quistis might have a chance to be happy for once. "Seriously. I don't want you to harass her about this guy. She's not had the best of luck when it comes to men."

Rinoa finally swallowed her huge mouthful of pasta. "Well, if you won't go with me, then I'll take Selphie. We need a girl's night out anyway."

"Rin, don't."

"Nope! I'm going. She was this close..." Rinoa pinched her fingers together until only a tiny space could be seen between her thumb and forefinger. "...to telling me his name when we went shopping this afternoon. She won't mind if I just take a peek at him, Squall. I can't have one of my best friends dating some yahoo. I have to approve him!"

"Whatever."

Rinoa placed her finger on the end of Squall's nose and playfully wiggled it, giggling when he snorted. "Good! I'm glad you see it my way."

"That place sells out pretty fast, doesn't it? Unless you have tickets or connections, you won't be able to get a seat. You might have to wait on Quistis anyway, Rin." Tucking back into his plate, Squall almost smiled, confident that Rinoa would at last drop the subject. He knew that he didn't have the clout or the influence to get seats at a sold-out opera. Looking up, he noticed that Rinoa had a very suspicious grin on her face.

"Oh, that's fine. I'll just call the general. He knows people that can get him whatever he wants."

Rinoa found herself covered in half-masticated food when a shocked Squall sprayed marinara sauce across the table. "You'll call _who_?"


	4. Tick, Tock and Vroom, Vroom

Caraway circled the same 'O' on his memo for approximately the one-hundred and forty second time. If the long-winded lieutenant shouting the praises of the new aerial division of the Galbadian navy didn't shut the hell up and sit his ass down soon, Caraway felt certain that he would end his afternoon meeting by rupturing the mouthy bastard's larynx with the titanium pen awarded to him by the Sisters of Sorceress War I Soldiers. Engraved on the decorative wooden box designed to hold the pen were the words, _Presented to General Fury S. Caraway, For Service to Galbadia and in Recognition of His Dedication and Bravery During a Dark Day in Her Illustrious History._

Caraway made certain to use _only_ that pen whenever he had to deal with any military matters. It just didn't seem right to use anything else. Julia had always laughed at this little quirk, teasing him when she saw that pen go into his uniform pocket. _Uh oh! Looks like the general has a meeting! He's picked up his blood pen! _Caraway chuckled. His loyalty to Galbadia was unmatched, yet the part of him that regretted his actions as a soldier still felt that any days marked by his decisions as a general were dark days indeed. Could he have served Galbadia without becoming the feared General Caraway? Would Galbadia be the great nation she was today if he had remained a mere foot soldier? There were times that he wondered if perhaps Julia had understood something about human nature that he did not, and maybe it was this understanding that drove her to love that damned poet soldier until she died. She certainly never had any problems with _his _pen.

"…and the obsolete GIm52As have been replaced by a new support system code-named 'Blue Dragon'. Their ability to withstand attacks both physical and magical make them ideal for use in…"

A fly buzzed nearby.

One hundred forty-three.

Caraway could feel the second hand in his watch tick against his wrist.

One hundred forty-four.

The lieutenant droned on about another modifcation to another machine.

One hundred forty-five.

He wondered if Quistis had received her roses yet.

One hundred forty-six.

Would she be pleased with the tickets?

One hundred forty-seven.

She normally called, but she also knew that he had a meeting this afternoon. Maybe that was why he hadn't heard from her yet. Was she still coming for dinner tonight?

One hundred forty-eight.

He had reserved a private balcony for the opera the next night. Would she like that? She enjoyed the music so much; should he have reserved something closer to the stage?

One hundred forty-nine.

After being threatened with severe bodily harm, Anthony had sworn to wait in the car tomorrow night. Would that please her? She sometimes acted like she wanted to be alone with him, but other times she seemed fine with just dinner and a movie.

One hundred fifty.

Had she called yet? This meeting was taking forever. Maybe she had called and Anthony just hadn't let him know. It seemed like somethig the skinny bastard would do. Maybe she hadn't, though.

One hundred fifty-o…shit. The last rotation sent the ballpoint of the pen through the paper to the wooden surface of the desk, leaving an ugly blue mark scratched in the polished oak. If he had sent for the desk blotter suggested to him a couple of weeks ago, then the antique finish of his father's furniture would still be free from the unsightly ink-stain. Had Quistis attended this meeting, she would have clicked her tongue and said _I told you so. _He knew that he wouldn't be nearly as bored if she was sitting next to him.

"…thereby reducing the need to establish observation networks in remote areas while also allowing the 42nd regiment to focus her manpower on regaining control of the…"

Then again, she wouldn't have quietly tortured herself by listening to this loquacious jerk's speech on the advantages of replacing the entire fleet of tested and reliable automatons with some fancy new technology, either. She would already have her rebuttal for this nonsense planned and practiced, with graphs and charts copied and highlighted for every military guest in his office. Caraway had never seen her teach, yet he imagined that she was the type to keep a pointer in her hands, ready to direct attention to particulars on the board, or to hammer it on a desk to regain the attention of a drowsy class. Once she had mentioned that she favored chain-whips instead of more conventional weaponry, he had been unable to imagine her classes in any other way.

Unless that pointer was replaced by a riding crop, in which case he doubted that there was a single student of hers that would even _consider_ allowing himself to become drowsy.

He knew that he sure as hell wouldn't miss a single word out of her lovely mouth if he happened to be in one of her classes when he was younger. Although, if he had been younger, he certainly wouldn't be pursuing the instructor at such a slow pace. The difference in their ages made him proceed with extreme caution, though it drove him to distraction at times. It seemed to always be worse when he found her in his library, chewing her bottom lip while she read some thick volume; or when she visited him in his study to help him prepare speeches and proposals, pacing the floorboards and twirling her glasses between her fingers. He would so often lose himself watching her that he couldn't complete his work until she left for Balamb.

Anthony fretted and worried when she visited, certain that she was going to cause no end of problems for the general. And he would undoubtedly worry tonight when she arrived to meet him for their Friday night dinner. Age had taught Caraway patience, which he sorely needed when he thought of what they could do if Anthony would ever leave them alone. But his patience was wearing very, very thin. His fondness for the instructor was growing every time he met her, and his desire to be alone with her was increasing as well.

Caraway began circling another spot on his memo, though this time he wasn't even aware of his idle scribbling. Perhaps his assistant, annoying as he was, did serve a purpose. If the highest ranking general in the Galbadian army and an instructor half his age were ever implicated in an affair, then the gossip rags and tabloids would scrutinize every aspect of their lives and make them miserable. It was almost expected that a man with his power and influence be seen with a beautiful young woman on his arm during dinner or out on the town, yet it was another thing entirely for him to be associated with any _one_ woman in particular. Public opinion was a funny thing. His reputation would be tarnished and her future would be ruined… at least according to Anthony.

Then again, what did his reputation matter when he was the happiest he had been since he was married to Julia? Quistis had insisted on secrecy in their relationship, yet that was because she feared Rinoa's reaction to the news that her friend was dating her estranged father. Caraway felt confident that with the exception of Rinoa, Quistis simply did not care what anyone else thought of their relationship.

Had she been the silly type, he would have attributed her carelessness to youthful indifference, but Quistis had exhibited a strange sort of sad maturity even when he had first met her. Aside from her obvious beauty and wit, he wondered if that was what caught his eye the night of Rinoa's engagement party; the memory of the group of children sent to kill a sorceress and the quiet, serious girl trying to keep the group intact. She was far different from the twittering girl who was covered in wine, and she was worlds away from his own daughter, who still had occasional childish fits and tantrums along with her dreams and wild plans.

Caraway chuckled to himself. Separated in age by little over a year, yet Rinoa and Quistis may as well have been born in different centuries. He wondered just how long Quistis planned on waiting before she told Rinoa about their situation. Five weeks seemed a long time to him, a man who never hesitated when a course of action was determined. In fact, any time he mentioned Rinoa and Squall, she would immediately change the subject. Was it loyalty to her friend that made her hesitate, or was it something else? Hmm. Or maybe it was _someone_ else.

The random scribbling on his paper became more erratic as he considered that perhaps the beautiful young woman didn't plan on telling his daughter a damned thing. A woman with her brains and good looks could be dating any man she desired instead of a middle-aged general with a troubled past. Yes, any man she wanted…except for the one that was engaged to his daughter.

Caraway had long suspected that she had feelings for Rinoa's boyfriend, but surely she realized that Squall had eyes only for his daughter. Quistis seemed happy enough when she visited him in his mansion, but now that he thought about it, there were times when she watched him with such heartbreaking disappointment in her face…

The scribbling stopped when Caraway realized that his pen had cut through paper again and scored deep gouges into the desk. He had dated many women over the years, but none could compete with the memory of his beloved wife. Until Quistis Trepe had challenged him about troop movements at a Rin's engagement dinner, he had thought that the rest of his life was going to be spent in solitary mourning. He knew that he enjoyed her company more than he should, but he hadn't been so content in years.

Damn it all. It was bad enough that Julia had never stopped loving Laguna Loire. Were the fates so cruel that they would make him fall for the woman that seemed to be in love with his damned son? Was this part of what Rinoa talked about when she said that he would eventually pay for destroying so many lives while he served Galbadia?

"Sir?" Anthony's voice snapped him out of these unpleasant thoughts.

"What the hell do you want now, Anthony? I'm trying to finish this meeting." Caraway tossed the pen on his desk and rubbed his eyes. It felt like he had been stuck in the office with the same bunch of assholes for hours. "Well? Speak up man! What is it?"

Anthony swallowed hard. He hated to interrupt the general when he was in his meetings. "You have a phone call and she insisted that it was important."

Caraway excused himself to Anthony's desk outside his office. Any other time he would have been livid at the disruption, but his unhappy musings were forcing him to miss the meeting anyway. He had been useless all afternoon.

* * *

A borrowed Garden car careened through crowded streets and busy thoroughfares, scattering shocked shoppers and museum goers to the relative safety of the curb. The cherry red finish of the _Diablos XSR _convertible reflected the myriad lights of bustling downtown Deling as Xu shifted gears and slammed the accelerator to the floorboard. Quistis laughed as another pedestrian jumped out of Xu's way, brushed himself off and flipped her his middle finger.

Patrons sipping expensive coffee at a sidewalk café dropped the art section and whipped out their cell phones to report the tag number of the speeding sports car. It was either their fervent civic pride that made them want to ensure that Deling was a safer city, or they just wanted to report the driver for daring to play her blistering heavy metal in an area accustomed to the mellow sounds of jazz and funk. "Oh! Better slow down, Xu. It looks like Pretentious Asshole Art Student in the black beret got your tag number. I don't have enough cash to bail you out of jail again."

Xu glanced to the passenger seat and saw Quistis trying to hold her tangled hair, then flashed her dangerous grin and drove faster. Faster. _Faster_. The throaty rumble of the powerful engine, the smooth leather of the wheel under her palms, the vibrating bass from the killer sound system…it was sexy as hell and Xu was enjoying every potentially lethal second. Shouting over the wailing vocals and screeching guitar of her favorite band, she tried to reason with Quistis. "If you think some dickhead cop can catch me in _this _car, then you're not as smart as I thought you were, Q. I'm the motherfucking queen of Deling tonight! Whooooo!"

Quistis yelled something, but Xu couldn't hear it. She cranked up the volume and kicked the trembling needle of the tachometer into unexplored territory. The engine of the _Diablos _had never before been worked so hard, nor had the streets of Deling been so blissfully abused. The tires squealed and moaned in sinful pleasure every time Xu forced them to rudely caress the curves of Deling, who, kinky lady that she was, didn't object to the rough treatment. Quistis didn't know if the purring she heard was from the engine or from Xu. Hell, it might have been from her own throat, because she was having an absolute _blast. _Still laughing and trying to rein in both her wild hair and best friend, she screamed, "Xu! Slow down!"

"Hell no!" Xu licked her lips when she saw the turn that would take them to the Caraway mansion. Good. Time to see what this little car could _do. _The multi-colored blur of buildings and neon lights changed to a softer blur of night greens and black as they sped out of the city proper into the outer limits. Xu finally slowed the car when Quistis turned the music down and pointed to the tree lined drive, though she loudly protested the end to her fun. "Remember, once we get through security, they'll take our bags, then Anthony will…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anthony…that's the guy keeping you from getting laid, right? I told you that I had a plan or two for that bastard. You'll have at least one productive date while I'm on watch. And if I find out that I came all the way to Deling and you _haven't _had your knees to your ears, then I will personally kick your ass, Q."

Xu downshifted as she pulled the car to the security gatehouse. Two tense officers stepped out with hands on their weapons, but quickly relaxed when they saw it was just the pretty blonde that had been visiting the general for the past few weeks.

"Go ahead, ma'am. He's expecting you."

Quistis smiled and the officers waved, opening the gate so Xu could drive to the mansion. The reserved Miss Trepe was already very popular among the select group of soldiers stationed at the Caraway mansion, since every appearance she made meant that the general was in a very good mood for at least a day or two.

Whistling at the size of the mansion, Xu climbed out of the car and stretched while Quistis ran a comb through her hair. She knew little of architecture, but Xu was still impressed by the massive building looming above her. She figured that just the marble lion statue at the bottom of the stairs cost more than she made in a year. And speaking of the stairs…was that Trabian granite? It had to be. That singular blue-veined stone was only found in a certain region of the distant snow-covered mountains. She recognized it instantly, having spent two frozen weeks holed up in a granite cave during a brutal SeeD mission. Ugh. Quistis may have liked him, but Xu didn't care for his taste in building materials. How the hell could he afford to have that much Trabian stone shipped that deep into Galbadia? "Damn Q. He's loaded, isn't he?"

"The general is wealthy, yes. But you need not concern yourself with his personal financial matters." A shadow fell across Xu as Anthony appeared to escort the women inside. They were late, but that suited Anthony just fine. The general's meeting was lasting longer than he expected, so maybe he could get these women to their rooms before Caraway saw them. "Good evening, Miss Trepe. Good evening, umm…"

Xu grinned at the sergeant and gave him a friendly handshake. She sighed in relief. At least he wasn't a _complete _dog. Kind of skinny, but still, not too bad. And he was surprisingly young. From Quistis' complaints, she was expecting an old man with a white beard, but this fellow could only be in his very early thirties. He screamed overachieving, worked-too-hard-to-get-to-his-position virgin though. Perfect.

"It's Xu. And you must be that _dedicated _sergeant that Quistis is always talking about. It's nice to meet such a respected soldier and loyal companion to the general." Brown eyes slowly crept down Anthony's thin figure, then back up to meet his nervous eyes. Xu made it a point that he understood she was checking him out when she leaned a bit closer and lowered her voice. "But she didn't tell me that you're so good-looking."

Quistis watched the exchange in surprise. Xu had mentioned distracting Anthony long enough for her to escape to the opera with Fury, but she certainly hadn't expected her to do something like _that_. Knowing Xu as well as she did, Quistis was expecting her to poison his tea or set traps in his office. Seeing the overly serious Anthony reduced to a mumbling puddle in a Galbadian uniform was well worth the additional hassle of 'borrowing' that sports car from the Garden garage. She hoped that nobody would trace Xu's security code to the car reserved exclusively for the Headmaster. "Hi Anthony. Is Fury busy? Or should I just let myself in…"

"No! I'll escort you and your, umm, friend to your quarters. The general is in a late meeting and he is in no mood to receive visitors." Anthony disengaged himself from Xu and took their bags. Quistis rolled her eyes when he unzipped them and carefully inspected their contents for concealed weapons. He seemed disappointed when he examined Quistis' bag, but he nearly choked when he saw the contents of Xu's rather large bag. "After I see you safely to your rooms, then I will inform the general of your arrival. Now, follow me ladies and I'll show you the way to…"

"Really, Anthony. I am perfectly capable of finding my way to…"

"Quistis Trepe! Don't you dare interrupt this fine man while he's telling you the general's desires!" Xu winked at Quistis and ran ahead to walk next to Anthony. "I am very impressed by the sergeant's attention to detail and his clear devotion to the safety of his superior officer and his household. You should be _grateful _that we will be spending the night in such a safe location." Quistis struggled to contain her laughter when Anthony's already rigid spine threatened to snap from the added weight of his inflated self-importance. "And we should both be grateful that our slumber will be guarded by such a handsome…I mean, such a _committed _officer. How often can a person say that they were protected by such a young sergeant? He must be brilliant to have achieved so much at such an early age, eh Quistis?. You should really shut your trap and listen to his suggestions." Xu turned to Quistis with a stern look on her face and obvious mirth in her bright teasing eyes. This was too easy.

Anthony continued to walk in stunned, embarrassed silence until they had ascended the carpeted staircase and reached the guest bedrooms. Carefully lowering their bags to the floor, he unlocked Quistis' room and allowed her to enter. She carelessly tossed her bag on the bed, then turned to see Anthony ignoring her for the first time since she had started seeing Caraway. Finally! "Thank you, Anthony. Now. My friend has had a long day. Could you please show her to her room as…well?" She was pleased to find Xu already dragging her bag down the hall and Anthony following close behind her. Was that all that it would take to…

Xu was a genius.

* * *

"I don't give a good goddamn if the entire faction has to be eradicated member by member! If those assholes want to put a bullet through _my _head, then they had better think of a better way to…WHO THE BLOODY HELL IS IT?" Caraway threw his brandy snifter against the wall before stalking across the study and wrenching open the heavy mahogany doors. "Anthony, I swear to God, if you're going to tell me about another…" He drifted off when he found that Quistis stood on the other side, one hand on her hip, the other angrily tapping the doorframe.

That was it. The meeting was over. She looked amazing when she was cross.

"You were yelling again, Fury. And I hope you didn't throw another glass, because I have _finally _gotten rid of Anthony for a few minutes and I would much rather he not come racing downstairs because he thinks I've assaulted you." Quistis glared at him, but felt her lips curling upwards when he gave her an exhausted grin.

Caraway motioned for her to wait in the hallway, then stepped back in his office to dismiss his lieutenants. "Gentlemen! I've another meeting to attend and I'm afraid that we will have to conclude this and resume our talks in the morning. Good evening."

Mumbled curses and the shuffling of paper accompanied the earthy scent of brandy as a small group of dour military officials exited Caraway's office. Quistis slid into the shadows provided by a spare room and watched the men leave. She was glad to see that these looked like regular soldiers and not the scheming politicians she loathed. While Vinzer Deling was still rotting in his casket, some of his loyal party members still appealed to general Caraway for favors and donations. She hated to see those bastards anywhere near Fury.

A few minutes passed before Quistis felt that it was safe to enter his study. Walking softly, just in case there might still be someone lurking in the office, Quistis looked in the door and saw Fury seated at his desk, making a few final notes in his defined, slanting script. Good. He was alone. Quickly entering, she closed the double doors behind her, ensuring that they were locked and bolted. The brass fittings were sent home with a solid click and Quistis turned to greet Fury, smiling when he stood and walked around the desk to take her hands.

"You're very late."

"Yes, but it looks like I would have still been waiting on you if I hadn't been so..." Qustis was very pleasantly surprised when she felt sharp pressure against her chest from the general's many pins and his arms around her shoulders. _This _was certainly unexpected. He always seemed so distant when he met her that she was beginning to wonder if he held any interest in her at all. His lips were on hers and she decided to forgive him. He was a very busy man, after all. She laughed when the coarse shadow on his chin tickled her throat as he rained kiss after kiss on her neck and cheeks.

"I don't know how you did it, but I…" He couldn't continue without touching her lips again and tasting that delectable berry gloss. Damn her, she tasted so _good_. He was determined to shoot Anthony between the eyes if he dared to interrupt them. "I've waited all afternoon to tell you…and…my God, you're just…"

"S-slow down!" No, don't slow down. Yes, do slow down. No, don't slow down. Wait, wait, wait. Quistis pulled back long enough to catch her breath and collect her…well, thoughts weren't a huge priority, but she still needed to know what was so important that he was willing to cancel his meeting. "What is so important? What's happened…" Another kiss and she felt him lift her to the desktop. "…that has made you behave in such a…" Dear God. The man was incorrigible. Not that she was complaining. "…in such a manner?" Papers crinkled under her thighs and Caraway swept them across the desk, flinging pens and memos to the floor. The bottle of brandy that he served to his men was also sent against the wall in a glittering shower of amber and glass. They both watched the rich liquid pour down the wall and stain his maps of southeastern Esthar and the Tomb of The Unknown King, laughing when the heavy parchment sheets fell in a soggy geographic heap.

Quistis placed both hands to the sides of his head in an effort to stop him before he forgot that he had something to tell her. Running her fingers through his hair and locking them behind his neck, she smiled and asked once more, "What has happened to you today? I'm happy to see you too, but I wasn't expecting a welcome like this!"

"You. That's what happened."

Her eyebrows drew together in confusion. "Me? I just arrived less than twenty minutes ago and then you…"

Caraway was still kissing her hands, but he seemed to have remembered himself. Sitting next to her on the wide desk, he looked at her with undisguised admiration. "Rinoa called earlier today, and we spoke for nearly an _hour_. She told me that she had a conversation with you and she wanted to speak with me. Because of you. If I could…" Rinoa. Quistis couldn't breathe and couldn't think, but she could sure as hell feel.

Rinoa.

Rinoa.

Bloody damned _Rinoa! _Of course it would be about Rinoa. Why the hell should it ever be about Quistis Trepe when Rinoa Heartilly could make a phone call? All she ever needed to do was to point at the stars or get rescued from enemy forces a dozen times or _call her damned father for the first time in years! _Let precious princess make the simplest of gestures and she had every person on the planet falling over themselves to serve her.

"Release me." Of course. He wasn't kissing her because of love or desire. It was nothing more than gratitude. Quistis didn't want gratitude. She wanted to be appreciated, and not just because she was able to convince his daughter that it was high time she called him. If he didn't want her, then she didn't want him. Except that she did. She wanted him badly, especially when she could still smell his cologne on her clothes and feel the warmth of his arms. Bastard. "Please. Take your hands off me. Don't tell me that the only reason you finally show some affec…"

Caraway looked at her in bewildered anger before tearing her hands from his neck. "You, madame, are the one with your arms around me. If my presence offends you so much, then perhaps..."

"Offended? I'm not bloody offended!"

"Then why the hell are you acting like this?"

"Like what? I'd hoped to be able to visit you while Xu kept Anthony busy, but all you want to do is talk about Rinoa!"

"I'm not talking about her! I simply thought that you'd be happy for me since you're the reason she even called!"

"Oh, so I have to wait for Rinoa to call every time that I hope to get more from you than dinner, is that it?"

"Well, what the hell else do you want? I've done all I know to do, and you still act like..."

Quistis pushed him in the chest and stood from the desk. "I don't _want_ a damned thing! I'd just like it if you could try talking to _me _instead of always talking about war or politics or Rinoa or Julia!"

Caraway stood over Quistis, forcing her to take a step backwards when he crowded her. "What the hell does Julia have to do with you? I've not even mentioned her in weeks and..."

Quistis stepped forward and pushed him again, forcing him to fall back the single step he had taken from her. She didn't care if he was the most powerful military figure in Galbadia. She had a tendency to forget things like this when she was upset. "No. You don't have to mention her! You won't even look at me without that expression on your face and...never mind." Embarrased, she pushed her hair behind her ears and turned to leave his study. She should have known better to visit him when he was obviously still in a bad mood from that meeting. And of course he'd be excited about Rinoa's phone call. It was extremely greedy of her to expect him to forget his daughter just because she happened to be jealous of the attention he gave Rinoa. She could really be an idiot sometimes. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Caraway grabbed her wrist. There was no way in hell he was going to let her leave like that. Nobody walked away from General Fury Caraway. "What damned expression?"

"Never mind. I've obviously upset you and I need to leave, so..."

"No. You're not leaving here until you explain yourself. What expression? And we weren't even talking about Julia, so why did you..." He couldn't remember the last time he had even said Julia's name around Quistis. Why was she dwelling so much on his dead wife? Unless... Releasing her wrist, he took her hands again and carefully watched her reaction. "Please. Tell me why you mentioned her." Hmm. Those big blue eyes did seem to be hurt now that he took the time to actually look at her. Could she be a bit jealous? Oh, how wonderful. Well, not that he had hurt her feelings, but that she felt enough for him to let herself _be_ hurt.

"Y-you just seem like you want me to be her sometimes and I..."

Caraway smiled, pulling her close to him. "Never. I miss her, yes. Always will, I suppose, but please don't ever think that I want anyone but you. If I thought that..."

It seemed to be enough for Quistis. She kissed his cheek and put her arms around his neck, laying her head on his chest.

Both jumped at the furious pounding and shaking of door handles. "Sir! I heard yelling! Sir! Are you okay? I was distracted but I'll be there in just a moment, sir!"

Keys rattled and Caraway sighed. He really needed to take the keys from Anthony if he expected any privacy in his own damned house. He kissed the top of Quistis' head and chuckled. "I'm going to kill him. And don't you dare think of leaving here. Get upstairs and get some rest. I fully expected to have a beautiful blonde on my arm tomorrow night, and not some tired old bag. You do still want to be my date for the opera, don't you? Because I'd much rather not have to take Anthony. He's not nearly as pretty as you."

Quistis laughed. Relief at hearing him vocalize his affections made her feel so much lighter. "I wouldn't miss it."

Anthony finally succeeded in opening the door and was staring at her in something beyond anger.

She sighed when she heard Anthony's heavy breathing just a few steps behind her. "Although, I have this strange feeling that you'll be taking him with you whether you want him or not."

* * *

Note: I've placed the Caraway mansion slightly outside of the center of Deling. I know it was in the middle of town in the game, but I imagine a house that size would come with pretty extensive grounds, so it needed to be on the outskirts of Deling. It's still IN the city, just kind of on the outskirts. I think it was implied in the sewer system escape portion of the game that the mansion would be a fair distance away from the most populated area of town. I hope this makes sense, because most huge houses that I've ever visited are never inside cities. They always seem to be on the outskirts. Except for maybe the Frick House in New York, but I think it had been there for a while before the city grew around it. That's a pretty sweet art collection, if you're into that kind of thing. The house itself is kind of cool too.


	5. Daddy's Girl?

"So…"

"So what?" Quistis eyed Xu's reflection as she brushed her hair. "And why are you looking at me like that?" Selphie was the mistress of looking impish and cute when she was in an inquisitive mood, but the same expression on Xu's features looked almost demonic.

Xu rolled off the bed and took the brush from Quistis to help her friend sort through her blonde labyrinth. Time and again, she had tried to convince Quistis to tie her hair back before she went to bed, but her advice was always ignored. Normally she would watch Quistis suffer with a smug grin on her face, but this morning she wanted information, so she had to play nice. "So?"

Quistis' blue eyes met Xu's dark brown in the mirror. "So _what?" _She knew exactly what Xu meant, but she wasn't in the mood to divulge her romantic escapades to anyone. Well, her _lack _of romantic escapades, if one wanted to be honest. She was still seething about Anthony's interruption. Just when it seemed that Fury would _finally _show her a bit of affection, Anthony burst into the room wielding an iron fire poker. The moment was lost when Fury tore the improvised weapon from Anthony's hands and chased him down the hall. Even waking at five am, hoping to meet him in his study before he continued his meeting, Quistis had been foiled yet again by the persistent sergeant.

"Soooo…what happened?" Xu carefully pulled apart a viciously snarled knot with her fingers. "You were gone for a while and I thought you might be…you know." Xu winked at Quistis' reflection and continued her steady brushing, admiring the shining blonde hair that slipped through her fingers. If Xu had been the right sort of woman, she could have been jealous of her friend's cool beauty, but she just accepted it as part of Quistis. Xu stopped in mid stroke when she saw her bite her lower lip. She only did that when she was thinking or disappointed, and it was way too damn early for even brainy Quistis to be thinking. "What? You _didn't_?"

"Well…no, but that was only because we were…OW!" Quistis winced when Xu popped the top of her head with the hairbrush. "What was _that _for?"

"You mean I made Anthony unpack my lingerie for _nothing_? I don't show those to just anybody, you know. Especially the red one. Ungrateful little…" Xu muttered and cursed while she put Quistis' hair up in her favorite clip.

Quistis laughed when she imagined the stoic Anthony unpacking Xu's rather extensive lingerie collection. Xu tended to lean towards the kinkier end of the undergarment spectrum when she went shopping. "You did what? And you brought the _red one?_"

Xu grinned. "Of course I did. I'm determined that you get laid before this weekend is over, and if that means that I have to parade around in my teddy and stilettos, then so be it. According to Garden Code, section 43, paragraph 12, lines 22 through 24: _In the event that a lone soldier encounters enemy combatants whilst separated from allies, then that soldier must be expected to utilize every weapon in his arsenal to either subjugate said enemies or immobilize them until retreat is possible. _My weapons just happen to be lacy and see-through. Anthony is the enemy, so I have my primary strategy and if that fails, a fool-proof contingency plan. I'm on a mission, you see."

"God, you're beginning to sound like Rinoa. She said that she's on a mission to…OW! Would you quit doing that?" Quistis laughed again, although her head was beginning to throb from another blow from her own brush.

"Only if you swear to _never_ insult me like that again." Xu hadn't liked Rinoa ever since Squall brought her back to Garden at the end of the war. She was convinced that Rinoa was one of the primary reasons that Quistis so often fell into periods of doubt and depression. Granted, she never thought that Quistis would ever be happy with a sullen asshole like Squall, but with Rinoa around, her failure to reach the young man was constantly thrown back in her face. It seemed that every time Rinoa made Squall smile or laugh, Quistis would lock herself in her room with a pint of strawberry ice cream and crank up her god-awful music. The spiteful part of Xu wanted to be present when Mount Rinoa erupted at the news that Quistis was dating her father. It would be a great show. "When do you plan on telling her that you're dating her dad? She's bound to find out eventually, you know."

There was silence for a few minutes as Quistis stared at her reflection and considered this point. Before talking to Fury about that phone call, she had planned to mention it when she returned to Garden, but after seeing that overjoyed expression in his eyes, she didn't want to be the reason that Rinoa started hating her father again. "I'm just so afraid of what she'll do, especially since they haven't gotten along for so long. I don't know when I'll tell her."

Xu wrapped her arms around Quistis' shoulders and smiled into the mirror. "Screw her. She didn't concern herself with your feelings when she started dating Introvert McGee, did she? You wanted him so bad that a blind man could see it, Q. She's an airhead, but I'm willing to bet a lot of gil that she _knew_ you had a huge crush on that jackass." She wanted to add that Rinoa was a scheming, sneaky, underhanded man-hungry bitch of an airhead, but she remained silent for Quistis' sake. To her complete confusion, Quistis had remained friends with Rinoa, even though it was obvious that she was often miserable in her presence.

During one of their infrequent conversations, Selphie had told Xu about the concert they staged for Rinoa and Squall while Garden was stranded at Fisherman's Horizon. Xu had listened to the chattering girl in stunned silence, unable to believe what she had said. Quistis couldn't even _play _an instrument. It was bad enough that her best friend was heartbroken over Squall, but then forced to embarrass herself while Princess and Squall had a little make-out session; it was almost unbearable. When she asked Quistis about it, Xu nearly slapped her. _I just thought it would make him happy, Xu. He needed somebody and Rinoa happened to be that somebody, so yeah, I sat on a stage and humiliated myself. But look at him now. He's finally happy!_

"I'm tired of seeing you make every decision in your life because of Rinoa or Squall, Q."

"I know, but…"

"But what?" Xu snarled and stepped back to the bed, flopping back into the mountain of pillows. Caraway certainly spared no expense to ensure Quistis' comfort. The duvet alone was thicker than her mattress back at Garden and she wouldn't be surprised to find that he had ordered the pillows stuffed with phoenix down instead of regular feathers. It seemed like the sort of thing that a man with too much money might do to impress his girlfriend.

Quistis sighed, thankful that she was on Xu's short list of friends. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be one of her enemies. No. On second thought…she could imagine that it was probably painful. Very painful. Oh well, time to find out. Grabbing Xu's ankles, she jerked her into the floor, laughing when the pillows and blankets buried her and muffled her loud curses. "Oh, don't worry Xu. I'm not worried about Rinoa."

"Damn it, Q. Then what the hell is the problem?"

"I'm worried about Fury. He was _so_ excited to hear from his daughter yesterday and I just don't want…why are you looking at me like that?"

Xu had stood from the floor and was standing with her hands on her hips, looking at her with a strange sort of squint. Even though she was frustrated and worried, Xu hadn't seen Quistis so happy since she passed the SeeD exam. She swore to kill Rinoa if she tried to ruin this for Quistis. "I'll be damned. You really like him, don't you?"

Blushing, Quistis bent to the floor to retrieve her boots. "Yes, Xu. I really do. And it's so much… _different_ than it was with Squall. He actually seems to…he kind of smiles at me sometimes and he…"

"Reciprocation is pretty fucking nice, isn't it?"

Quistis beamed. Even though she was still angry about sleeping alone, her night had passed in a foreign sort of bliss, confident that Fury actually _wanted_ her. She could be patient. After all, she had spent most of her life waiting for the love of a man that wanted nothing to do with her, so she could wait for just a bit longer. It was worth it just to know that she wouldn't be alone anymore. "It's the greatest thing ever, Xu. I've never felt so…content."

Content? Xu had been hoping for a far more dramatic emotion, but considering that the pair had yet to even have a real date, she wasn't surprised. She'd just have to work harder to ensure that they were alone tonight when they went to that damned opera. Even if it meant tying Anthony to a convenient piece of furniture with a pair of fishnet hose, she was determined that her mission would be a success. Watching Quistis tug on her boots and make one final check in the mirror, she asked, "Are you finally ready? I'm starving."

"Yeah, I'm hungry too. We'll grab some breakfast and wait for Fury to get out of his meeting."

Xu grinned. She thought it seemed appropriate that two souls with such terrible addictions to work would find themselves together. "Should we plan on getting lunch too? If his meetings are anything like _yours, _then I bet he'll be in there all day."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Jingling her keys, Xu walked out the door, eager to find a huge breakfast buffet. She liked extremes; fast cars, loud music, strong liquor, and lots of food. Xu had little patience for people with delicate appetites, whether they be for food or for life. What was the point in living if you weren't living balls to the wall? Quistis heard Xu's voice fade as she marched down the hall. "Oh, nothing really. Only that you two are complete workaholics who are obviously destined to be together. I bet you two will have _amazing_ sex once you actually get a moment alone. After all, absence makes the heart grow fonder…"

Quistis groaned. "God, tell me about it."

* * *

"Wait. You mean they don't even have _popcorn_ at an opera?"

"No, Selphie. It's one of those things where people act all snobby and rude. They listen quietly, clap politely, and have a miserable time." Rinoa _hated _the opera. Her mother enjoyed it and had often taken her young daughter to hear the singers, but Rin never liked it. According to her five year old logic, nobody else could sing like Mommy, so every body else was terrible. Rinoa smiled, remembering how her father had taken her to wait outside when one of the sopranos hit a particularly high note.

_I don't like this music, Daddy._

_I know, Angel, but your mother enjoys it, so we'll just wait out here while she finishes. It makes her happy to hear that music._

_Why does she like to listen to those people?_

_Well dear, I think it's because your mother just loves music so much. All of it is wonderful to her, even if you and I think that opera singers sound like a bunch of wailing alley cats. Don't tell Mommy I said that, though._

_Hee hee! I won't tell her Daddy, I promise._

_Good girl, Rin. Hey! Why don't we find some ice cream? That will be fun, won't it?_

_Yeah!_

_Great! We'll have ice cream and wait out here while Mommy listens to her show._

_Mommy sings better than those people, doesn't she Daddy?_

_Of course she does. Your mom has the most beautiful voice in the world. She sings just like an angel. I'm a lucky man to have two angels living with me, right Rin?_

_Yep!_

_I knew it! So, what flavor of ice cream do you want? Pickle or Broccoli?_

_EEEEWWW! Daddy! They don't make pickle ice cream!_

_They don't? I'm shocked! Well, don't tell me that you want old boring chocolate again!_

_I do, I do, I do! It's my favorite!_

_Oh, fine then. Chocolate it is. Come on, Angel. Let's find a shop and get you your old boring chocolate…_

It had been so long since she had tried to summon a happy memory of her dad that she wasn't even sure if she would be able to do it. Not long after that night, her parents got into a huge fight and her mother decided to go for a drive to clear her mind. Julia was killed and her father ceased to exist. After the funeral, light and laughter were banished from the Caraway mansion. Caraway locked himself in his study for two days and left Rinoa in the care of a recently hired governess. When he finally emerged, Rinoa had ran to her daddy, trying to ignore the heavy odor of brandy on his breath, but he silently pushed her back into the arms of the governess. He was unable to look at his daughter and see her weeping with his dead wife's eyes. The resemblance between mother and daughter, previously something that filled him with such pride, now caused him to turn away in abject shame. Julia had been crying when she fled the mansion that night and Caraway couldn't bear to see those same tears in the eyes of their child. He wasn't worthy to hold their daughter when he was the reason that she was now without a mother. His shame and guilt were eating him alive, but Rinoa didn't know this. She just knew that her daddy didn't want to hold her when she so badly needed him to.

It was three weeks before he even spoke to his daughter, and then it was just to tell her that she needed to comb her hair. He patted her head and sent her to the bathroom, then entered his study and poured another brandy. Five year old Rinoa sat on the cold tile and wept until she collapsed, a heartbroken little girl who found herself in the unenviable position of being orphaned with one living parent.

Time passed and Rinoa grew older. She stopped crying for him after he missed her seventh birthday party to meet Senator Deling to discuss a possible run for the presidency. Two days after her party, he returned to the mansion with an armful of expensive gifts, apologizing about his absence, but Rinoa shrugged off his apologies. He didn't care, so she didn't care.

And so it continued. They met each other for dinner on Sundays. They'd calmly discuss their weeks and then they would calmly go back to their own worlds. Caraway was the strong right arm of the President and Rinoa was getting deeper into the resistance movement. He knew that he had wronged his daughter, but he didn't know how to fix it. Without Julia to guide him, all he knew to be was a military man. Until he met the lovely singer, his entire life had been spent in service to Galbadia. With her gone, he had slipped so easily back into his role as heartless general that he wasn't even aware that he had lost his daughter in addition to his wife. Rinoa ran away to Timber, hoping to find a family in the welcoming arms of the Forest Owls, but still found that she couldn't forget her father.

Rinoa still couldn't eat chocolate ice cream.

Selphie's offended voice broke through Rinoa's unhappy thoughts before she went too far into her sorrowful past. "But, even snobby people like popcorn! Everybody does! It's a universal thing! The great equalizer!"

Rinoa laughed. There were times when she was _so_ glad to have a friend like Selphie. It was hard to feel bad while she was sitting next to the human version of sunshine. "Yeah, but then you'd have people smacking and crunching over the singers and nobody could hear the music."

"Oh, _that _would be a real tragedy. I don't know if I could survive if I wasn't able to hear Brunhilde go _Yo, ho, ho, ho!" _Selphie held her sides as she giggled and bounced in the train seat next to Rinoa. Squall had promised that they could take one of the Garden cars, but the headmaster's sports coupe was (suspiciously) missing, so all vehicles were under lockdown. Oh well. Selphie would much rather take the train than a boring old car any day. "Honestly! I don't understand how Quisty likes that stuff. It sounds _awful _and it's always in some crazy foreign language_. _It's gonna suck to have to listen to that stuff just to catch a glimpse of her boyfriend."

Rinoa's merry laughter joined Selphie's as they sped towards Deling City. "I know, Selphie, but at least we'll be able to finally solve this mystery."

"I wonder what he's like… Hmm. What do you think, Rin?"

"Well, knowing how picky Quisty is, he's probably an absolute god among men. I always imagined her with a really good looking guy. She certainly has enough admirers but she ignores all of them. I've never met anybody so particular about who she dates."

Selphie dug in her bag and found her binoculars. Sure, one could use those dainty things that were attached to sticks, just like the kind in movies, but only Garden-issued reconnaissance equipment had the necessary power to scope out their target. "Nah. Quisty's too smart to go for looks. I bet she's landed a guy with a big brain like hers. Either that, or she's a lesbian and doesn't want anybody to know that she's out of the closet." Selphie put the binoculars to her eyes and turned to Rinoa, who was a brown and white blur against the lenses. "At least she's not one of those scary lesbians that wear the lumberjack shirts and chains on their wallets."

Rinoa's gum fell out of her mouth when her jaw dropped open. "Quisty is _not _a lesbian!"

Selphie fiddled with knobs and lenses, trying to see if she could focus close enough on Rinoa's face to find a blemish or a zit. _Nobody _should be allowed to have such an even complexion. It just wasn't fair. "Well, I'd still love her if she was. It's not _impossible_, Rin. I'd be bitter about men too if I had been in love for years and saw my dream man waltz off with …"

"What?"

Selphie panicked. She thought that Rinoa knew that Quistis still had it _bad_ for Squall. Through their whole little adventure, killing monsters and fighting nutcase sorceresses, it was apparent that Rinoa and Quistis were both in love with Squall, and that Squall was falling for Rinoa. Everybody knew it…or so she thought. "What? Nothing! I'm just talking crazy, you know, because of the train ride. I get all giddy and silly and…you're not buying it."

Rinoa's voice was dangerously low. "No. I'm _not_ buying it. What are you talking about? Who is Quisty's dream man?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. She's obviously found someone that makes her happy, so we should really just be…"

"_No! _Tell me, Selphie." Rinoa felt a strange sinking sensation somewhere in her belly. Now that Rinoa thought about it, Quistis _had _been awfully moody for several months. Maybe some guy had cheated on her, or maybe he had ended their relationship badly or maybe…oh God. Surely Quistis hadn't been moping around Garden because she...

Of course! It all made so much sense. Rinoa felt ashamed of herself for thinking that Quistis was always kind of stuck up and snooty. It was no wonder that nobody was good enough for her! She was in love with…oh no.

"Selphie! Does she still like Squall?" Jerking the binoculars from Selphie's hands, she fixed the shorter girl with her patented death glare.

Selphie looked around the train for an escape route. Emergency exits were at the front and rear of the compartment and the windows could be smashed if Rinoa flipped out again. But the train was moving at an incredible rate of speed, so her body would be torn to pieces once she climbed out of the window…

"Selphie! Answer me!"

"Eek! Y-yeah, she's always kind of had a thing for him, even after you guys started getting all hot and heavy."

"I thought she was over him. She even told us that she figured it must have been some leftover sisterly feelings or something like that."

"Well, yeah. I mean, what else _could_ she say? She knew that Squall was in love with you, so she just kind of gave up. He never gave her a chance and she just wanted him to be happy." Selphie was genuinely surprised that Rinoa had believed that lie. Even _Zell_ had been able to tell that Quistis was lying to everybody about her feelings for Squall. "Why do you think I've tried to fix her up with everybody I know? I mean, it was fun to play matchmaker, but I _really_ wanted her to find somebody else. She's too awesome to spend the rest of her life alone, you know."

Rinoa popped another piece of gum in her mouth and chewed slowly, deep in thought. "Hey Selphie. Do you think that maybe we should just leave her alone and kind of let her do her own thing? I don't want to screw this up for her if this is the only guy that can help her get over Squall."

Selphie peered through her binoculars again, focusing on a newspaper held by an unwary man at the other end of the compartment. Wow! Talk about a clear image! These were _perfect _for scoping out Quistis and her mystery man. There was no way that she was going all the way to Deling City, sitting through a boring opera, and failing to complete her primary mission objective. "Nope! We've got a mission to complete, except now it's a _stealth_ mission. We'll just sneak in, find Quisty, take a peek of her fellow, and sneak out again. We won't even mention that we saw him until she is ready to introduce us to him! It'll be a piece of pie."

"Don't you mean 'a piece of cake'?"

"What? No! I don't even _like_ cake!" Selphie practiced with her binoculars some more, focusing on the moustache of a dozing old man across the aisle from them. The bristly hair on his lip danced and quivered every time he snored. Hee hee! He didn't even know that she was watching him!

"But, I've always heard…"

"Shh! That doesn't matter Rin! Here comes the tunnel! Woo hoo!"

Rinoa shook her head. Her earlier enthusiasm for their excursion had been dampened by the knowledge that Quisty was just trying to find a way to be happy. It just didn't seem right to intrude, especially since she knew that her friend had given up so much for her. And if it hadn't been for Quisty, she wouldn't have even thought to call her dad. He had sounded so…_excited_ to hear from her.

_You want tickets to what?_

_The opera._

_Yes, of course. I'll have Anthony get them right now, but I thought you hated the opera, Angel._

_Don't call me that, General. But yes, I still hate it. I'm just taking a friend._

_Oh. Right. Will you…rather, would you like to stop by while you're in town?_

_No, I don't think that's a good idea. At least not this time. Maybe later._

_I would really like that, Ang…er, Rinoa. Please._

Rinoa hated to admit it, but she had missed her father. After so many years of trying to hate him, after so many attempts to forget what he had done, what _she _had done, she still wanted to be his little girl. Maybe they'd be able to give their relationship another try.

* * *

"And you said the cowboy picked out that dress? Wow. He has good taste. I'll give him that much credit." Xu zipped up the back of the dress and stepped back to check Quistis' appearance. She was pleased with the effect her golden hair had against the silvery-white fabric and the way the sleeveless design showed off her toned arms and shoulders. Quistis had always been pretty, but when she took off her glasses and made an effort to look good, the results were astonishing. Without the drab SeeD uniform and the rather severe twist she so often used to contain her hair, she hardly looked like the same person.

Her careful appraisal was making Quistis nervous. "What's wrong? Do you think he'll like it? I know it was short notice but it was the best I could do with…"

"Oh shut up. You look great, Q. You oughtta know that by now." Xu didn't understand Quistis sometimes. She was uncommonly lovely, but she didn't seem to realize it. If Squall Leonhart had been in the same room, Xu would have punched him in the nose. She just knew that his indifferent behavior towards her best friend had destroyed her confidence.

"Really? I don't want to disappoint him."

"Q, you drive me crazy sometimes. Now get your ass downstairs. He's waiting on you."

"But sir! She's not like the other women!" Anthony tried to match his steps to the fast pace of the general, but nobody could keep up with Caraway when he was irritated. Sweeping down the wide staircase, Caraway considered pushing Anthony over the banister, but then he'd have nobody to organize his next meeting. As obnoxious as he was, Anthony did have his uses. He did make a good point, though. Quistis was _nothing_ like the other women he had dated. "I'm well aware of that Anthony."

"Sir, I don't think you understand." Following the general into the spacious sitting room, he tried to make Caraway listen to reason. "She's a trained killer, sir. SeeD are dangerous people and…"

"And? I think you forget that I have a lot of blood on my hands as well." Caraway adjusted his collar. The clean cut and simple lines of the tux suited him, but he couldn't get used to the black tie. He would have worn his formal uniform, but for just one night, he wanted to forget that he was the General Caraway that was responsible for the safety and well-being of an entire nation. Hoping that Quistis would be pleased, he sat on the wide couch and stretched his arms along the back, tapping his fingers on the textured upholstery.

Anthony pressed his advantage. The general had no choice but to listen to him while he waited for his date. "But sir! You're a soldier. Defending your country is honorable and just. She's nothing more than a damned_mercenary_." Anthony spat the word as if it had a bad flavor. "She'd slide a dagger between your ribs if the price was right! You have to admit that it's strange that such a charming young woman has taken such a sudden interest in you. I guarantee that she is after either your fortune or your life. Women like that don't just…"

"Well. It's nice to know that you think I'm so _charming_, Anthony." The sergeant paled, unaware that the instructor and her friend had entered the room behind him. He knew that she didn't like him very much, but he had never before heard such icy venom in her tone.

Quickly moving behind Caraway, she bent down and gave him a long, slow kiss, opening her eyes long enough to see Xu wink at her. Finally pulling her lips from his, she leaned close and whispered in his ear, "You look absolutely _amazing _in that tux, Fury. And get ready, because we'll have to move fast when Xu gives the signal." Caraway raised a pleasantly surprised eyebrow, but said nothing. Until they started arguing last night, whatever spell her friend cast on his sergeant had worked, so Caraway was willing to play along with whatever she commanded.

Standing straight again, she locked cold eyes with Anthony. "Just so you know_, _if I wanted to eliminate the general, there isn't a damned thing you could do to stop me." Smiling, she slid one hand under his jaw and the other to the top of his head, running her fingers through the thick dark hair she loved so much. "If I wanted him dead, then his body would already be cooling at my feet. I could snap his neck before you could even blink,_sergeant_. Or I could use an ink pen to pop a hole in his femoral artery. I'd rather not do it that way, since I am wearing white and it tends to leave _such _a mess. Blood goes everywhere, I'm afraid." Her smile widened when she saw that Anthony was completely outraged at her behavior. Good. She was tired of being harassed when she had done nothing wrong, so at least now Anthony would have a good reason for following her. Enough was bloody damn enough.

Xu leaned against the wall and enjoyed the show. She hadn't been on a mission with Quistis in a long time, so she rarely got to see this side of her buddy anymore. It was a shame really, because Q could make the coldest of serial killers seem compassionate when she was angry.

"Sir! Do you hear what she is saying? You have to listen to me now! I was right all along!"

After hearing what he said about Quistis, Xu decided to skip Plan A and go directly into Plan B. It wouldn't be as much fun for the sergeant, but she didn't care. She was in a bad mood now and she felt no sympathy for the asshole that just insulted her best friend. "Oh mercy. Umm, heavens above! I feel…oh damn it. What do they call it? I feel faint!"

"Ma'am? _Ma'am?" _Quistis chuckled as she watched Xu dramatically collapse to the floor and saw a panicked Anthony run to her side. Tugging at Fury's arm, she pulled him out of the sitting room into the hallway, checking behind her to make sure that Anthony hadn't followed them. Racing to the car, they climbed in the back seat and the general yelled for the driver to hit the gas.

As the shining black car roared out of the drive, Caraway leaned back in the seat and laughed. He felt like he used to when he skipped school, so many years ago. It seemed like every time he was around Quistis, he always felt younger. "Remind me to thank your friend when we get back to the….the…" Glancing over at her, he was finally able to fully appreciate just how gorgeous she looked in her long white dress. He wanted to compliment her, but he was too stunned to find the right words. All he could do was stare at the magnificent woman sitting next to him.

Quistis sensed his hesitation and nervously bit her lip. Following his gaze, she looked down at her dress. "What's wrong? D-do I look okay, Fury?"

Caraway didn't answer, but slid across the seat and gently brushed his hands along the length of her exposed arms. Quistis closed her eyes, a part of her still afraid to open them and see that she was mistaken about his feelings for her. Seeing this, he cupped her chin in his hands and waited patiently for her to open those dazzling eyes. Finally rewarded with a doubtful flash of winter tempest blue, he smiled and slowly traced her lips with his own. "You look beautiful, Quistis." Neither was sure which of them deepened the kiss, but both briefly considered skipping the opera as they lost themselves in each other. Fumbling on the keypad of the armrest, Caraway somehow managed to hit the button that lifted the screen separating the front seats from the back.

The driver, who happened to be a bit more considerate of the general's privacy than Anthony, turned up the stereo and whistled as he carefully wound his way through the streets of Deling. He knew that he had to have them at the opera house by eight o'clock, but there was still time for a drive around town. A nice, long drive.

* * *

Note: I was going to go ahead and add the opera scene in this chapter, but then it would have been HUGE. I just like chapters that are between 5,000-6,000 words. It's almost finished, so I should have it up in a day or two. And I'm trying to be a bit nicer to Rinoa than I normally would be, simply because it suits my purposes. It still hurts though…I may need long years of therapy to recover.


	6. A True Entertainer

"Madame?"

A hesitant hand knocked on the dressing room door. Attached to that sweaty hand was a very nervous stagehand. It was only his second day on the job and he did _not _want to be the one to interrupt the star of the Deling City opera circuit while she was making her pre-show preparations. The last to do so had spent five weeks in the hospital eating puréed meals and communicating with a chalkboard because of a fractured jaw.

"Madame?"

Silence.

"Madame?"

Annoyed silence.

"Madame?"

_Very _annoyed silence.

"M-madame? I've been sent to tell you that..."

The silence was broken by a resounding crash and the faint tinkling of glass and water. He sighed. It must have been another vase. Why couldn't she throw a shoe? Why did she _always_ have to break something that took so much effort to clean?

Day: 2.

Broken vases: 17

"Madame? Please be careful. If you cut yourself on the glass, we'll have to reschedule and I don't think that...that...that...wow." The stagehand dropped his clipboard when the door was torn open by a very tall, very angry...very nude woman. Thoughts of being hospitalized were replaced by an urge to fall to his knees and worship the goddess before him.

It was no wonder that her shows had sold out for years. He had always assumed that the advertising department doctored the posters that were scattered about the city, but that simply wasn't the case. Her legs really_were _that long and her hair really _was _that shade of sun-ember red. The legendary Rose of Deling really _was_ as lovely as she was rumored to be. He hadn't believed that such beauty existed.

"Well?"

Hearing her utter this single word was enough to send him back to his childhood, hiding under his blankets from the Galbadian storms that swept across the plains in terrifying electric waves. He now understood their wrath. The heavens were furious that a mortal woman had stolen the voice from the sky, leaving them to weep and wail with only the loud clamor of rain and thunder.

Rolling her eyes, the singer put one finger underneath the stagehand's chin and gently closed his mouth. Her accent had been softened by long years away from home, but she still spoke with the clipped consonants of one born in Trabia. "Don't stand there gawking. They tell me that I must get dressed, so I can't stand here all night. What do you want?"

"I-I'm s-supposed to t-tell you that General Caraway will be attending tonight and..."

"General Cara...? Fury? _Here?" _Tapping a varnished nail against her perfect lips, the singer smiled. She hadn't seen Fury for years. Not since...

"Good. Tell him to see me before I go on stage."

"But it's already late and it's a sell-out crowd, so..."

"And? Those people are here to hear me, no? There will be no performance until _I _am on that stage."

"Madame, he's the _general _of the entire Galbadian army!"

"What exactly is your point, boy?" Sparkling irises followed the young man's eyes as he tried to hide his appreciation for her shapely figure and waist-length hair. She had lived in Deling since she was sent there by her parents, so many years ago, but she still couldn't understand the rather prudish manners of the Galbadian people. A performer to her core, she believed that if someone was blessed with a gift, be it a dulcet voice or an incredible set of legs, then it was the responsibility of that person to share that gift with the rest of the world. Aside from a few lines in her face, her ivory skin was still smooth and supple; her long, thick hair was still the same flaming red it was when she was a lass of twenty. She was getting older, but it pleased her to know that after so many years, she could still attract admiring glances.

"Well you see...I can't just go and _command_ the general to visit some opera singer..." The stagehand took a quick step backwards when she started laughing. She was beautiful beyond words, but she was also very, very frightening. Her green eyes held more terror for him than the flames of Hell.

"You amuse me, boy." Bending low so that her auburn tresses brushed the floor, she picked up his clipboard and shoved it into his chest, smiling when he winced. "Be grateful that you do. Kings and emperors have bowed before me, so a mere general won't be anything that I can't handle. Now go." Still laughing, she closed the door and leaned her back against the wood. How entertaining...Fury Caraway had finally made it back to the opera.

* * *

"Mademoiselle, I would thank you to kindly remove your boots from my seat."

An elderly gentleman jerked the tail of his tuxedo jacket from under a pair of rhinestone studded cowboy boots.

"Selphie! You can't prop your feet up on the next row of seats!"

"Tell me about it! Monopoly Man up there is _still_ giving me the evil eye! Boy, I'd like to take that monocle of his and shove it so far up his..."

"Selphie!"

"Alright, alright...yeesh. How much longer before this thing is over?"

"It's not even started yet."

"WHAT? Then what was all that racket earlier?"

Rinoa sighed. Three hours. They had been stuck in their seats for _three hours _because Selphie insisted on getting there early. The seats around them were starting to fill with tuxedo clad men and well-dressed ladies, but they had yet to spy Quistis. "The orchestra was setting up their instruments. I told you we were way too early."

"But Quisty will eventually come through those doors and then..."

"I know, but...ooh! There are _so _many people here! Have you seen her yet?" Rinoa tried to grab the binoculars, but Selphie yanked them out of her reach. If Rinoa was the one to do surveillance, they would never locate the target. Sticking out her tongue, she adjusted her binoculars and surveyed the opera house again. She knew that her friends sometimes thought she was a flighty spaz, but they that was because they just didn't pay attention.

Selphie Tilmitt was meticulous about chaos.

Quistis would be found; she had no doubts about that. It was simply a matter of disregarding the masses garbed in black jackets and colored dresses. Quistis would be wearing white, so she had no need to bother with the rest of the crowd. After all, when two trains were leaving the station at different rates of speed and one had to determine which would reach it's respective destination first, the number of cows passed during the trip didn't factor into the equation...even if it was fun to wave at them from the windows. Eliminating all non-essential information, like ugly red and purple gowns on women that should've really, _really_ known better, Selphie was able to reduce the search grid to a much more manageable size. "Nope. Still don't see her, but I do see some dust on that big old light fixture up there."

Silver light reflected off the crystal facets of a massive chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. Selphie frowned. If they wanted to _really _impress the audience, they should have used strobe lights and a disco ball. She wished that Rinoa's dad had been able to get them seats in one of those balconies that lined the curtain-draped walls of the opera house. A balcony seat was more...well, it would have just been flippin' awesome to sit in one of those things. Plus, if it was one of the balconies on the east side, she thought that she could climb the scarlet curtain, jump to the sconce on the wall and be swinging from the chandelier before the orchestra finished tuning their instruments. "Hey Rin! Do you think I could make it if I jumped from that balcony right there to the chandelier?"

"No Selphie."

"Really? Hmm..."

"No, Selphie. Don't even think about it."

"But, I think I could reach..."

Rinoa twisted her mouth into an unpleasant line and firmly shook her head. She didn't want to spend the rest of the night in the emergency room of Deling General.

"Oh fine." Grumbling, Selphie waited for the lights to dim so she could utilize the night vision feature on her scope. That white dress would make Quisty look like a ghost in the eerie green glow, but then she'd be easy as hell to spot. She had hoped to find the elusive instructor before that point, because it _totally _seemed like cheating, but she didn't have too many options. Besides...it was hard to concentrate when Rinoa was being so damned irritating. She could _totally _make that leap...

Totally...

* * *

"If you keep this up, we won't even be able to..."

"Able to what?"

"...able to..."

"Mmm?"

"...never mind..."

_Ahem!_

Quistis sighed, then pulled her lips off of Fury's long enough to peek over his shoulder and see how Anthony had managed to sneak into...oh! "It's okay, Fury. It's not Anthony."

"Then who the hell else has the balls to interrupt us..."

The stagehand decided that working in an opera house was just too stressful. Naked prima donnas, hospitalized co-workers, and now...make-out sessions in the private balconies. His wife would kill him if she knew what happened at work. "Good evening sir. I've been instructed to take you to see the Rose before she takes the stage."

"The Rose? She's performing tonight?" Caraway hadn't thought about that woman in years. Not since...

"Do you mean _The _Rose? Oh Fury, I...oops." The general and the stagehand both felt a keen sense of disappointment when Quistis noticed that the slit in her skirt was revealing more thigh than was intended by the seamstress. It was designed to show some leg, but not quite _that_ much. Blushing, she righted her dress and gave her full attention to the visitor.

"Yes sir! She has sworn that she won't go onstage until she speaks with you."

"Hmm. Well, that seems like something she would do. Thank you. You may go." Fury waited until the stagehand left, then lightly ran his palm against Quistis' shoulder. She had a very faint smattering of freckles that he found incredibly enticing. He kissed her shoulder and murmured against her skin, "Are you familiar with her music, Quistis?"

Familiar? Of course she was familiar with her. No other singer could compare to the celebrated Rose of Deling. Her voice and her acting skills were legendary. Over the years the fearless performer had played everyone from the charmingly feisty Buttercup to the frightening Queen Bavmorda of Nockmaar. It was even rumored that she had been offered marriage by an Estharian nobleman after he witnessed her portrayal of the innocent Lily, that poor woman pursued by the Lord of Darkness himself. When she opened her mouth, she didn't just _sing. _The Rose of Deling _became _her characters. Quistis was a big fan. A _very _big fan. "Oh, I'm very familiar with her work, Fury. I've loved her music since I first saw her on public televis..." Fury moved from her shoulder to her throat, perfectly willing to let the singer wait all night while he enjoyed his time with Quistis.

She closed her eyes and smiled. Even though they were nearly invisible, Quistis hated every single one of those freckles. Although... if he continued to kiss her like that, she would be willing to skip the sunscreen the next time she ventured outdoors. "I hate to stop you. I _really _hate to stop you, but I didn't know that _she _was the one singing tonight. I'd hate to miss one of her performances just because you can't keep your hands off me, Fury."

Caraway laughed. "She's a very old friend. Would you like to meet her?"

A brief pause and Quistis opened her eyes. "An old friend?"

* * *

Quistis and Fury were nearly knocked to the floor when another assistant fled the deafening thumps and crashes in the dressing room of the Rose of Deling. Both had fought in the earsplitting din of battle, heard the wails of fallen comrades and enemies, covered their ears against screaming missiles and fierce gunfire; it was nothing to the tantrum behind the closed dressing room door.

_Knock, knock, knock._

"Either come in or cease that damned infernal knocking!"

Grinning, Fury leaned down to whisper to Quistis, "She's not one that relies on pleasantries. You'll find that she's rather...blunt."

"_Blunt_?"

Fury chuckled when Quistis arched a skeptical eyebrow. He held his hand on the knob for a moment before opening the door, considering the best way to explain his relationship with the famous singer. "Well...she's actually an unmitigated bitch, but she's the most _honest_ unmitigated bitch I've ever known." Carefully stepping over broken glass and scattered roses, Quistis and Fury entered the demolished dressing room.

"Well, well, well." Fully clothed in a rich emerald robe, the Rose of Deling tossed her lipstick onto her dresser and spun around to greet the couple. Ruby lips parted in a wide smile when the general kissed her extended hand. "It's been a long time, Fury."

"Hello Damaris." He gestured to a gaping hole in the wall just above a spilled cup of tea. It was obvious that she had been aiming for the head of her poor assistant. "I see that your aim is as terrible as ever."

"Yes, well...the little fool put milk in my tea. I doubt she'll do it again." Damaris wrapped her arms around Fury and kissed him on the cheek, then noticed the blonde by his side. "I didn't think anyone but Julia had the power to drag you into a place like this. Who is your friend?"

Quistis tried to find a flaw on the stunning woman, but she figured she would need a powerful microscope to find one. From her flashing green eyes to that river of molten copper cascading down her back, the Rose of Deling was sickeningly perfect.

"This is Quistis Trepe. She's an admirer of yours."

"Oh really?" Vanilla and musk enveloped Quistis when that perfect woman released Caraway and moved towards her. Seeing those narrowed emerald eyes and hearing the power in her voice, Quistis was oddly reminded of her encounters with the sorceress. Damaris seized Quistis by the chin and ran her thumb along her lower lip, then peered closely at her blue eyes and golden hair. Quistis felt like a show horse being judged at the county fair.

Smiling at some mysterious reason known only to her, she dropped Quistis' face and turned back to Caraway. "Hmm. She's very pretty, Fury, but I just can't imagine you with a blonde. They're far too frivolous for someone like you."

"Now look here, Damaris..."

"Oh relax. You and that damned temper of yours..." Damaris sat back down and tugged at a seam on her costume. The deep green of the fabric accentuated every red curl tumbling down her back, but she was very unhappy with the cut of the robe. "Why don't you step outside so I can have her help me with this costume, eh?"

"Since when have you become so bashful?"

Damaris ground her teeth together. She should have waited until after the performance to speak with him. Getting so angry right before she went onstage was a bad idea...at least for the role she was going to play that night. If it had been three weeks ago, when her character was storming the land for the child that would bring down her kingdom, she could have used Fury's bloody irritating presence. "Oh, you know me better than that. I'm not bashful about a damned thing, but you are terrible at taking hints. I would like to speak with her..._privately._"

Caraway shook his head and placed his hand on Quistis' lower back, trying to nudge her towards the door. He didn't know what she planned to discuss, but knowing Damaris the way he did, he suspected that they wouldn't be discussing opera. "No. We just came to say hello and..."

"I am perfectly capable of answering for myself, Fury. And I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about me as if I'm not in the room." Quistis angrily met the surprised eyes of the general and the singer, nodding her head to the latter. "It has been a pleasure meeting you. I enjoy your music very much and I look forward to your performance, but I must..."

"Fury. Get out."

"But I..."

"Out."

Fury and Damaris locked eyes, but it was the general who decided to retreat. He had much more to lose than the haughty singer. "Quistis? Will you be okay if I wait by the door? I'm afraid that if I don't, she'll refuse to sing. She's very stubborn and I don't want to see you disappointed."

Quistis smiled and pushed him outside of the door. When she turned back, Damaris was standing right behind her, carefully watching every movement she made. "You really are very pretty."

"Umm...thank you?" Quistis wasn't sure if her kind words were meant to be a compliment or a disguised assault.

"What are your plans for him?"

"Plans?"

"Yes. What are your plans for the fabulously wealthy General Caraway?"

Quistis felt her hands clench into fists, but she managed to keep them by her sides. Closing the distance between them, she glowered at the taller woman. "I don't care if you _are_ the biggest name in opera, I will knock those perfect teeth down that perfect throat of yours if you try to suggest that I am after his money. I believe that Fury is intelligent enough to recognize..."

Damaris clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, I think that I _like _you!"

"_What?"_

Quistis was pushed into the cushioned seat in front of the mirror by the ecstatic singer. She was reminded of Xu when the red-head draped her arms on Quistis' shoulders and spoke to her reflection. "When I was told that Fury was attending my performance tonight, I couldn't believe it. He _loathes_ opera."

"He never mentioned that." Indeed he hadn't; he had simply sent the tickets to her office. He just seemed so pleased that _she _was pleased...

"He once told me that I sounded like a rabid cat that had been thrown under a moving train." Quistis laughed and promptly clapped her hand over her mouth. The remark was hilarious, but very, very far from the truth. The woman staring at Quistis was the reason that she even listened to opera. "But, you have an incredible voice! When your Buttercup was singing of her Westley lost at sea, I cried for days. I love to hear you sing!"

Damaris beamed. She was well aware that she was enormously talented, but it certainly didn't hurt her pride to receive such praise. "So does the rest of the world, dear. Julia was one of my biggest fans and she often tried to emulate some of the things I can do. Her voice was exquisite, but it wasn't suited to opera. She was much better at popular music, though. My voice isn't meant for the radio. We complimented each other very well, but Fury didn't agree. It infuriated him when she tried to learn from me, since he thought that she was perfect."

Sad smiles passed over the features of both women, but for very different reasons.

"I mention this because he is obviously smitten with you. He must be very fond of you to set foot into this damned opera house. When Julia died, a part of him died as well. I can't stand the bastard, but I do worry about him, if only because Julia would appreciate that I do."

Damaris pointed at a long metal emery board hidden amongst the make-up and wigs on her dresser. "Your eyes betray you, dear. Some might think you a silly blonde, but I can see the brain behind those big blue eyes. Since I respect intelligence, I thought I'd ask you about your plans for him before I tried to stab you with that nail file. After all, one can be beautiful and intelligent...and still be a gold-digging whore."

Quistis supposed that she should be offended, but she was enjoying the conversation. Fury was right. She was an absolute bitch, but it was refreshing to trade verbal blows with such a skilled opponent. "Hmm. And it's apparent that one can have a beautiful voice and still have the vile, forked tongue of an asp."

Damaris laughed. This young woman was perfect for Fury. "Yes...I really do like you, Quistis Trepe. Now get the hell out of my dressing room. My audience awaits."

* * *

"Selphie! Stop crying!"

"I c-ca-can't! It's so totally unfair!"

"It's just an opera, Selphie. Calm down!"

Selphie was shocked. "Have you no _soul, _Rinoa? Isabeau is stuck as a hawk again and now Navarre can't even...can't even...ohhh! They were so close and now that evil old bishop is going to...ohhh! She's singing about how it feels to never...I can't take it!"

The heavily mustached man in the neighboring row turned around and passed a hankerchief to the wailing girl behind him. He was an opera aficionado that lamented the fact that so few young people appreciated truly good music. It was well worth the cost of a ruined tuxedo to hear such genuine emotion. His own heart was breaking over the plight of the unlucky-in-love Isabeau and her brave knight Navarre, so skillfully played by the cast now onstage. He had seen that particular opera six times that season, each with different leads, but this...this was the stuff of legend. The Rose hadn't lost her touch.

"Here child. Try to be quiet so we can hear the rest. You do want to know what happens next, don't you?"

Selphie sniffed, but somehow managed to stifle her loud sobbing. Oh, Quisty was right all along. This opera shit was fantastic! "Thank you..._sniff..._Mr. Monopoly Man." The old man raised his eyebrows, but decided to ignore the strange comment. She was obviously distraught over the amazing performance she had witnessed, so he could forgive her odd behavior.

With the exception of Rinoa, the rest of the audience was dabbing at their cheeks and weeping silent tears, lost in the voices reverberating throughout the opera house. Never before had they been treated to such a wonderful show and never before had they had their hearts torn open in such a delightful manner.

Rinoa was glad that everyone was so engrossed in the performance. It was much easier to search the crowd when they sat so still that it seemed as if the songs floating in the air had the power to turn people to stone.

Now to find Quisty...

* * *

Quistis couldn't believe that the bitch in the dressing room and the betrayed woman now keening over her cursed love were indeed the same person. She had listened to her for years, but actually sitting in the opera house, sharing the same space, breathing the same air, _hearing _that famous voice...amazing. Damaris finished her aria with a mournful note and left the stage for the next act. Quistis released a breath she wasn't even aware of holding and leaned back in her seat, smiling at Fury.

Fury watched Quistis instead of the opera. He didn't give a damn if it was Damaris onstage or some other nameless singer. And if she would lower her damned voice, he thought he might be able to hear the excited gasps of the woman next to him. Whispering, he asked, "Are you enjoying yourself, Quistis?"

"Oh Fury! This is the most...I've never...it's so..." Quistis stammered, then closed her mouth, realizing that she was unable to articulate her thoughts into any sort of coherent sentence. She grabbed his hand and held it to her mouth while the knight and the bishop each sang of their love for the fair Isabeau. Fury could feel every warm puff of air as she breathed into his palm, occasionally kissing the tips of his fingers. The song ended and the scene changed again. Her anticipation was evident in the increased pressure on his fingers and the sharp inhalation as she held her breath again.

"Do you always hold your breath when you enjoy..."

Damaris was back on stage for the final act and all eyes were on her. Damn it all. Fury Caraway _hated_ to be interrupted. Quistis still held his hand, but her attention was for nothing but the production below. He watched her again; noticing how her chest would rise and fall, how her throat would move as her body forced her to breathe.

Damaris opened her perfect lips for one last powerful note and most of the audience swooned. The final song, a joyful celebration of the reunited lovers and the demise of the dreadful bishop, brought the rest of the tearful crowd to it's feet, clapping and shouting, throwing bouquets of scarlet roses to the stage.

Quistis turned to Fury with shining eyes. Damaris was right...he had spent the entire night staring at her instead of watching the performance. Quistis stood from her seat and applauded the fine show, then pulled Fury up next to her and kissed him, certain that she was falling in love with the handsome general. Laughing, she pressed herself into him and felt his hands wind into her hair. "Fury?"

"Mmm?"

"Are you ready to get the hell out of here?"

Caraway pulled away for the briefest of seconds. He thought that she... "Did you not enjoy the production, Quistis?"

"No, Fury. You misunderstand me. That was the single greatest experience of my entire life. The problem is..."

"What's wrong?"

Pouting her lips, Quistis fussed with Fury's jacket and smoothed his hair. It wouldn't do at all for them to creep out of the balcony in a disheveled state. That would have to wait until they made it back to the mansion. "I've been told that you don't care for opera, so I really need to make it up to you."

"Is that so?"

"Oh, yes _sir_."

* * *

"Rin? Hey Rinoa! It was a sad story, but it had a happy ending, so you don't have to...Rin? Why are your cheeks so red?"

Rinoa pushed the night vision binoculars into Selphie's hands and wildly gesticulated towards a distant balcony. Selphie followed the direction of her shaking hands and looked into...

That was Quistis in that balcony.

That was the general in that balcony.

That was...holy-hell-what-did-that-man-think-he-was-doing-to-poor-defenseless-Quisty-oh-dear-sweet-lord-did-Quisty-have-her-tongue-down-his-throat-oh-please-God-don't-let-it-be-oh-shit-it-looks-like-Quisty-is-dragging-that-man-to-the-exit-and-they're-probably-gonna-go-back-to-his-place-and...

Selphie thought she might hurl. She knew Quisty was lonely, but she would have never guessed that someone as good-lookin' as pretty Quisty would go for such an old guy. Sure, he was kind of hot in that dignified TV doctor kind of way, but he was still freakin' _old._ And Quisty was just so...well, _Quisty. _She couldn't wait to get back to Garden and tell Irvine and Zell and Squall and that cute chick in the library and the really super friendly lunch lady and Nida and everybody else that Quisty had a...umm, boyfriend? Eeeww!

"Hey Rinoa, why didn't you tell me that your dad was screwing Quisty? We could have saved so much time if you had..." Selphie passed a hand in front of Rinoa's unblinking gaze. "Rinoa? Are you okay?"

Rinoa's shrill shriek shattered the glass beads of the chandelier overhead. The performers onstage looked to Damaris, but she just shrugged. She didn't believe in wasting her voice on silly parlor tricks like breaking glass.

That sort of nonsense was better left to attention-seeking tarts who needed a good slap to the face to bring them to their senses.

* * *

Note: Has anyone ever paid attention to the stories in operas? Some of them just aren't that good. I suppose the music makes up for it. Anyway, I like stories better than music any day, so I've tinkered with the opera formula for this fic. I thought that some of my favorite movies would make great operas. Trim the story, write some music, boom! Ya got an opera. I just think that the stories in _Ladyhawke, Legend, The Princess Bride, _and _Willow _would make really cool operas. I wanted to include a reference to _The Dark Crystal _too, but I just couldn't see my singer chick playing a Gelfling. Maybe Aughra though...hmm...she IS a total bitch, after all. Anyway, if you have seen these movies and are able to imagine their stories set to bombastic over-the-top opera music, then you might be able to kind of see what I was aiming for in this chapter. I hope it works.

One more note: I hope Tequila Princess doesn't mind that I took the 'shrieking princess' idea and ran with it. I promise to be meaner to Rinoa if it means that I can keep this in my little fic. It won't hurt my feelings _at all _to knock Rinoa around a bit...


	7. Jealousy

"Okay Anthony, for this one, first you lick, shake, shoot, bite the lime and...! Heh, quit it. No! Not y-e-e-et!"

"Ow! Why'd you punch me?"

"I said, not yet!"

Xu felt as if a door had opened in the floor of heaven, bathing her in a holy amber light.

Anthony felt as if the dark lord himself had tapped on his shoulder and given him very detailed and specific instructions on how to commit the first of the seven deadly sins.

She had discovered the miracles of the general's well-stocked liquor cabinet.

He had discovered the miracles of body shots, lingerie, and a very ticklish woman.

Xu tugged at Anthony's collar, smirking when he fell off the bar stool and hit his ass on the floor. She was pleasantly tipsy, but he was flat-out drunk. Offering him a hand, she flashed her most seductive smile and pulled him back to his feet. "You know, Sergeant, you could at least lose the tie. I mean, here I am in nothing but _just enough_, and you're still in that uniform. It hardly seems fair." It was difficult, but she managed to keep a straight face when he looked like he might swoon. "I'm beginning to think that you aren't interested in me. "

"What? No! No ma'am! I'm _very _interested!"

"Then...lose the tie."

"I can't do that, ma'am. If the general..."

Xu's voice fell an octave below sinister. "I said... _Lose. The. Tie."_

Anthony wanted to lose much more than the tie, but he had an important mission to complete. People were counting on him. It was bad enough that he was far drunker than he had ever been in his entire life; it would be worse if he allowed himself to lose control with this (admittedly) very attractive woman and permit the general to get out of his sight...again.

It was all that instructor's fault. Before her arrival, it had been much easier to contain Caraway, to observe him and his household. When the happy little couple made it back to the mansion, Anthony planned on following every step of Caraway's, even if it meant sleeping on the floor in front of his bedroom door. "I-I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just _can't. _Don't get me wrong, I really, really want to, but so much relies on my careful vigil... Hey! What was that other drink you mentioned?"

Xu's eyes narrowed. So much _what, _exactly? "Do you mean the Tequila Sunrise or the Turncoat Screw?"

"Yeah! Sunrise! That's the one! How do you make that again?"

Interesting.

Interesting to Xu was five-alarm suspicious to anyone else, but she continued to play her part. "Well, now that I think of it, we might have to wait until Quistis gets back. When I make them, I always mess up the layers of booze, so I think you should ask her. Hers are always much prettier than mine."

Anthony rolled his eyes and poured another shot, throwing it back before answering. "I don't think she'd like it if I asked her how to mix a drink. She isn't very fond of me."

"Oh really? I've heard nothing but good things about you. Sure, she wants a little time alone with Caraway, but she _appreciates _the fact that you're so concerned with his welfare." Xu poured two more shots, slowly sipping hers as Anthony sloppily downed his.

"Good things, huh? Well, that's unexpected since she, she uh...gets so mad..._hic..._sometimes." Was he drunk enough yet? Quickly setting the bottle on the bar, she moved behind Anthony and began kneading his shoulders. "It's a shame, really, that you can't relax a bit and just talk to me."

Anthony nodded in agreement. "I would love to talk to you, but..."

"Then we won't let it get complicated. How does that sound?"

"Hmm? That sounds fine...just fine."

Rolling her fingers over his neck, Xu tried to keep him relaxed, but not so much that he passed out. She had a few questions to ask him. "So, do you prefer football or basketball? I like both, but I fucking _love_ football. I think it might be those tight pants..."

Anthony laughed, feeling rather macho at her silly statement. "Well, I like football too, but I actually watch it for the _game, _not the uniforms."

"Oh fine then. I guess we'll talk about _football _instead of those luscious cheeks on some of the players. Let's see...the Galbadian Lions have certainly had a rough season, haven't they? Once their quarterback was injured, their season went all to hell."

"Yeah, we kicked their asses at the last bowl game."

Xu's fingers tensed for the briefest of seconds before she resumed the massage. "Oh yeah, it was a massacre, alright. Those Galbadians didn't know what hit 'em. Who was it they lost to again? Was it the Dragons or the..."

"It was the Timber Wolves. I didn't get to make it back for that game, but I caught it here at the mansion."

"Right, right. I forgot. I think I was working at the time..." Disturbed, Xu continued the massage until Anthony dozed off with his head against the bar, drooling tequila and salt onto the fine wood finish. Lighting a cigarette, she blew smoke rings into the air, watching a few drift to the ceiling before she lost interest. The burning cherry on the end of the cigarette held her attention much longer, glowing brightly when she inhaled, then fading to a dull red as she pulled the thin cylinder from her lips. Flicking the cigarette against her thumbnail, delicate ashes fell into an empty glass, sticking to the moist surfaces. She grinned as the hidden ember emerged from it's gray shroud, still burning underneath all of that ash.

Hearing Anthony snort, she mashed the short into the glass and watched his shoulders rise and fall, listened to him breathe and softly sigh as he was no doubt having sweet dreams about a certain ticklish dark-haired woman.

Xu had certain theories about loyalty and devotion. It was one thing to steal a car from a military institution, but another if it was stolen for a friend. It was one thing to go to jail for fighting in a nightclub, but another to drag your friends along to the same cell even if they were the cause of the brawl. And it was one motherfucking thing to serve in the upper levels of the Galbadian army, but another to _not _support her football team.

Xu didn't like Anthony.

Not at all.

* * *

"This smells _really_ good."

"Did you doubt me?"

"No, but I am a bit surprised. This is much different from where you normally take me."

"Hmm...yes, I suppose it is. You don't mind, do you?"

"Mind? No!" Quistis watched a burly man fill massive platters with barbequed chicken and ribs, sizzling fries and fresh garlic bread. Take out orders were supposed to be faster, but it seemed as if they had been waiting for their food for _hours. _Or maybe it just seemed that way to Quistis. Fury had a good point though; he kept very little food at his mansion and they would (hopefully) be starving later, so he suggested that they stop for some take out. "But I do wish that they would hurry. We've been waiting forever and we really need to get h...back to your mansion before it gets much later."

Caraway noticed the way Quistis cut herself off before she said, _we really need to get home. _He wondered if she said that about Balamb Garden, whether or not she called the school home or if she referred to it as just_Garden. _She had once mentioned that she was adopted, then quickly shipped off to military school. She never brought it up again, so he didn't press for answers. It obviously hadn't worked out, but had she ever called the residence of her adoptive parents home? Had she ever even _known_ a home?

"Alright, here's yer order. That'll be twenty eight gil, fourteen rup..."

Caraway grabbed the bags and tossed a one hundred gil note to the cashier, telling him to keep the change. Shifting the bags to one hand, he placed his arm around Quistis' shoulders, directing her to the waiting car.

In her high heels, she had trouble keeping up with his long, purposeful strides. Laughing, she tugged his arm and forced him to slow his hurried walk. "Fury! Slow down! The driver told us that we could take our time. Where are you going in such a rush?"

He kissed the top of her head and pulled her tighter to his side, smiling when she wrapped her arm around his waist. "I'm taking you home with me."

* * *

Xu cranked up the volume of her mp3 player once she heard car doors slam in the driveway. She grinned, confident that Quistis was finally going to have a decent night with a guy that treated her right. It was about fucking time.

Anthony wasn't going to be a problem at all. Xu had made certain of it. When he tried to open his door in the morning, she knew that he would find that it had mysteriously been nailed to the frame by some mischievous hammer fairy.

Darn.

And once Quistis returned to her room, she would discover that this same mischievous spirit had stolen a couple of extra pillows from her too-comfortable-for-her-own-good bed.

Darn again.

Xu turned the volume up louder when she heard a loud thump and a series of quick screams. Well! He was obviously worth the wait if he was able to make Quistis yell like...

_...this through and just calm down, Rinoa..._

Wait. What the hell?

_...could have TOLD me before now..._

Xu tore the headphones from her ears and sat up on her stolen pillows. Was that Princess?

..._fail to see how it could possibly concern you..._

_CRASH!_

_Oh, Rin! Those binoculars will come out of my pay!_

Holy shit! That sounded like Tilmitt! What the hell was going on?

_...can't believe that you would disgrace Mom like this..._

Tossing on a pair of jeans and a t shirt, Xu thundered downstairs and had to duck as an expensive looking vase sailed over her head and landed at the general's feet. She had seen Rinoa upset before, but never anything quite like this. The Caraway mansion held some of the rarest works of art on the entire continent, ranging from carefully crafted bronze weapons of the ancient Galbadian tribes to priceless oil paintings and marble statues. It seemed that Rinoa wasn't an art fan. Xu cringed when she imagined that over two million gil of art had been destroyed when Rinoa began throwing whatever her small hands happened to find.

Tilting her head, she wondered if she might have been a bit more drunk than she previously thought. She thought she could handle tequila, but...Was that palm at the foot of the stairs really _waving _at her? Yep. Was it gesturing for her to come closer? Yep. "Psst! Hey! Hey Xu! When did you get here?"

"Tilmitt! What the bloody hell is going on?"

"Cripes! See, the thing is..." The palm took a deep breath. "We-followed-Quisty-to-find-out-who-she's-been-seeing-for-so-long-and-we-thought-that-we-could-find-out-if-we-got-tickets-to-the-opera-so-we-went-and-met-this-really-nice-Monopoly-Man-and-I-cried-and-Rinoa-wouldn't-listen-to-the-story-which-was-great-by-the-way-because-that-chick-could-really-belt-out-a-tune-but-it-sucked-because-Rinoa-wouldn't-cry-with-me-but-I-got-a-free-hankerchief-and-after-the-show-we-saw-Quisty-making-out-with-that-old-geezer-which-I-thought-was-bad-but-Rinoa-wigged-the-fuck-out-and-now-she's-broken-my-binoculars-and-she's-making-Quistsy-cry-and... Oh Xu! She's making Quisty _cry! _Tell her to quit! Everybody listens to you!"

Xu's brain was finally able to catch up with the steady stream of Selphie-speak and she was able to piece together what was happening. Quistis wasn't the only one crying. Rinoa's face was pink and shiny with tears, though her tears seemed to be of a more dangerous variety than Quistis'.

After missing Caraway with the last vase, Rinoa crossed the floor and slapped his face, ashamed of herself, but unable to do anything about it. It _hurt _to see her father walk in the front door, smiling at Quistis the way he used to smile at her mother, with those dark eyes of his sort of _lit-up _and _winky. _She hadn't seen that smile since she was a very young girl and it hurt to know that _Quistis _was able to melt the general and reveal the man underneath. "How could you do this? To Mom? To Me?"

"Do _what, _Rinoa?"

"How could you...with _her?_"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Rinoa jabbed her finger in Caraway's chest. "We are the same damned _age_, General! Tell me something. Did you lust after all the friends I brought home from school or is this just a recent thing? Is this a mid-life crisis or something? Instead of a sports car, you decide to run after women half your age, is that it?"

Caraway glanced at Quistis, who stood with her hand over her mouth and those big blue eyes full of tears. He could look at Quistis, somehow certain that she could cope with pain. She had that element, that quicksilver maturity that made her face the world even though she didn't want to. She could, so she did.

But Rinoa...not his little girl. Rinoa was too much like him, unable to face the world without support. Their shared crutch had always been Julia, but when that was knocked away, he fell back into Galbadia's arms, she fell into a world of rebellion and revolution. Neither of them could face the world without breaking. Caraway couldn't even look at her.

"Rin, please. It's nothing like that at all. We just..."

"Alright then. Tell me. What is it?" Rinoa saw him look at Quistis. Her voice grew louder, shriller. "Why the hell are you staring at her like that? You're talking to me, damn it! For once in your goddamned life, will you look at me?"

"I'm trying to talk to you, but you won't give me a bloody opportunity to speak! If you would be quiet for one minute, I could tell you what's going on!" Anger swelled in his chest, a far more welcome sensation than the pain he tried to bury all those years ago. Anger had flavor, a sharp bite that burned and tingled. Caraway _liked _anger. "It started at your engagement dinner. I admit that I was charmed by your friend..." Rinoa snorted. "...and as it had been some years since I had even taken a passing interest in _any _women, I did not hesitate to pursue her. She is an exceptional woman and I do not regret spending any of my time with her."

"Oh, she's exceptional, alright!" Rinoa rounded on Quistis, unable to comprehend how she ended up with her _father,_ of all the people on the planet. Why was she doing this to her? "And you! Is this why you were so determined that I 'play nice with Daddy'? So you could jump in his bed and pretend that you were the big hero?"

"Rinoa, surely you know that I've never even _considered _anything like that!"

Rinoa knew it was true, knew that Quistis was one her best friends and would never do anything to hurt her. But at that moment, at the door of the study that had taken her father from her so many times in the past; Rinoa didn't care. She was in pain, so the world should suffer with her.

It wasn't fair. Why did Quistis so easily win what should have been hers?

Breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out...Rinoa tried to think of how her mother might have handled this, how her mother might have helped her, but all she could feel was the hateful Caraway blood pumping and rising. Anger had always tasted better than pain.

Calmer now, Rinoa looked at Quistis through her bangs and smiled. "Was this because of Squall, Quistis? Is that it? I took Squall from you so you decide to take my father from me?"

Quistis was stunned. Her lips turned white as Rinoa's words sank in, crippling and silencing her.

"See, the thing about it is, _Quisty, _that Squall was never yours." Rinoa hated herself even as the harsh words fell from her lips, wanting to scream and choke on them at the same time. "Squall never wanted you. It's always been me. And my dear old dad back there? You're just a sad substitute for my mother and he'll never be able to look at you the way he looked at my Mom. How does that feel, _Quisty? _How does it feel to know that for all your brains and looks, for all your sacrifices and heartache...how does it feel to know that you'll never be good enough?"

Quistis swayed on her feet and Rinoa thought she might vomit when she saw her father move to her side. Where was that man when _she _needed him? Where was he when they put her mother in the cold ground and whispered those meaningless words to an uncaring god? Where was he and his mighty army when she was being torn apart by a mad sorceress? Where was he when she needed her daddy?

Something broke inside of Rinoa.

"Oh! One more question for you, _Daddy, _since you now have this great love that I'm sure will _finally _be able to help you get over Mom. When you fought that night and Mom drove off, what was it you told her before she hopped in that car?"

Caraway sat in the floor. He had tried so hard to forget what he told his wife that night.

Rinoa knelt down next to her father and watched his face flicker and jump. "Oh, come on, _Daddy. _I know you remember, because I'm not forgotten a _single word_. I heard every bit of that fight and I'll never forget it. I hear it every night before I go to sleep. Didn't you say... '_If that fucker still wanted you, he would have found you by now. Your goddamned song is on every radio station on the planet. If he wanted you, he would have been here for you. You're goddamned Julia Heartilly, after all. You've never sang for me, but you can sing for a man that doesn't even want you. Go out and sing your song for him tonight. See if he'll find you.' ..._Isn't that what you told Mom before she crashed and her head was caved in by that piece of metal?"

Quistis took a step towards Rinoa, but the shorter girl raised her hand and continued. "So my question is this, _Daddy. _How does it feel to hear your beloved wife's voice on those records and know that she was singing for another man? You can play her voice anytime you want, but like you said, she never sang for you."

Rinoa wanted to tear her throat out with her own fingers, but it had to be said before she truly went mad. "You've never wanted me. I've never been your daughter. That has been made perfectly clear to me over the years. How does it feel to know that Mom was singing to Laguna and wishing that I belonged to him? How does it feel to know that I'm getting married to his son and the man that my mother loved... the man that she dreamed about even while married to you, loves me as a father should love a daughter, even though I'm not his?"

Rinoa stood and pushed past Quistis to take a seat on the staircase, resting her chin in her palm. "Does that sting a little? I hope so, but I doubt that it will affect you. After all, Fury Caraway died a long time ago and the mighty Galbadian General feels no pain."

Caraway stood as well, carefully straightening his jacket and tie. Quistis tried to follow him, but he roughly pushed her away, knocking her onto the stairs next to Rinoa. The women on the staircase heard a loud click as he locked himself in the study.

"Q? Q?" Xu ran to her friend and hugged her. "Come on, let's go upstairs and grab your stuff."

Quistis didn't move.

"Quistis! Now!" Xu slapped her and was rewarded with an empty stare, but at least she was following commands. Dragging her upstairs, she yelled down for Selphie to take care of Rinoa. Xu still didn't like her, but that didn't mean that she wanted to leave that lost little girl alone in such a big house. It just wasn't right.

Selphie removed torn bits of leaf from her hair and sat next to Rinoa, afraid to speak to her friend. She bit her lip, well aware that she wasn't the one that Rinoa needed. "Rin. Come on. Let's get you home so you can talk to Squall."

Rinoa didn't weep, but tears flowed down her face and made her dark hair cling to her cheeks. "Oh God, Selphie. I've wanted to say those things to him for years, but now I feel even worse. Why can't any of this just be better?"

"I don't know, Rin."

"I've only ever wanted things to be better, but they always get worse."

Selphie sighed and stroked Rinoa's hair, looking at a forgotten pile of food in the floor.

* * *

Note: Yeah, I know it's really soap opera, but I had fun with it. I suppose that the Rinoa fans are sharpening their pointy sticks and licking their chops. Oh well. They'll have to hate me for a chapter or two.

Coming soon, Xu flips out and Zell leaves a trail of butterscotch candies...


	8. Women Folk

"Are you ready to meet your god tonight?"

Narrowed blue eyes met the steady amber gaze of the assassin, challenging him to do battle. An electric sizzle could be felt in the air between the two warriors as they weighed the strengths and weaknesses of each other, searching for vital flaws in the armor that would lead to victory. Simply winning wasn't enough for a contest between such mighty souls.

This was personal.

This was revenge.

Nothing short of total subjugation and utter humiliation would do; the victory had to be complete.

The shorter of the two flexed his shoulders and reached for his weapon, warily eyeing his nemesis, unwilling to give him the advantage for even the briefest of seconds. Muscles bunched in his arms and thighs when he assumed a battle stance, lowering his center of gravity to ensure that he was balanced and ready for any attack.

Every movement was carefully judged by his enemy, catalogued and memorized for the fight yet to come. The taller warrior saluted his opponent, giving him a grim smile. "Have you confessed your sins?"

"Humph. Tell the devil I said hello when I send your soul to hell."

"So that's how it is, then?"

A heavy silence.

"Yep. It's sad that it had to come to this."

Both raised their weapons and acknowledged the other for the last time.

No looking back now.

The final battle had begun.

_Ready..._

_FIGHT!_

Blood spattered to the ground, rapidly absorbed by the parched earth of the devastated wasteland. The combatants charged again and again, sometimes with their weapons, but mostly with their battered bodies. Over and over, knuckles split over bruised jaws and powerful kicks forced precious air from burning lungs. Flesh was flayed away to gristle and bone, but the warriors didn't feel it. Pride numbed them to all but shouted insults and curses, sending them at each other with a bloodlust that no human should ever know. Neither could gain an advantage until a bone-crunching punch to the chin sent the weaker fighter crumpling to the ground.

"I'm gonna kick your ass all the way to... NO! NOT AGAIN! Aw, come on!"

Zell's masked ice warrior met another gruesome end when Irvine's scantily-clad lady ninja sliced off his head with a bladed fan. A final flick of her crimson razor and she bowed to the players, dark hair obscuring her face from view.

_FATALITY..._

"Dude, that _sucks!" _Of all the fearsome weapons that existed in the realms of video game goriness, Zell had to lose to the chick in the blue g-string that threw fans. Honestly. What genius thought a _fan _would make a good weapon? And how the hell did he keep losing to Irvine, of all people?

He blamed it on the potato chips.

"I'm telling you, if it wasn't for my hands being so greasy right now, I'd totally kick your ass. My fingers keep sliding off the buttons."

"Sure, Zell." Irvine reached for another handful of barbecue chips and another beer. He dipped the chips into a strange mixture of chocolate syrup and sour cream, smacking happily and wiping his hands on his jeans. "Funny thing, though. I'm eating the same chips as you, but I'm still ahead by...what's the tally now?"

Grimacing as he gulped the last warm dregs of his lager, Zell muttered, "Eighteen for you..."

"Eighteen to...?"

The expression on Zell's face promised homicide in the very near future for a long-haired Galbadian cowboy. "Eighteen to one."

Irvine grinned as he walked to the fridge to get another round of beers. "Yep, that sounds about right."

Zell waited until Irvine's back was turned before he unplugged the cowboy's controller from the main system. Hey, it was cheating, but it wasn't like it was _real _cheating. It was more like...sliding a dagger in the chinks of chain mail. The battle had to be won somehow, after all. It was Irvine's fault for leaving Zell alone long enough to cause a bit of mischief.

Besides, Irvine was the one that insisted on ruining the sour cream and onion dip with chocolate syrup. The frickin' weirdo deserved it.

Glass clattered and clanked as Irvine struggled to carry seven bottles of beer in his long arms. "But since I am a lover, not a fighter, I'm willing to show a lil' mercy and play a different game. Selphie has a few racing games and I ain't real good at 'em, so you might have a better chance with something like that."

"Naw, I suck at those too. Something about driving with a controller instead of a wheel just messes with my mind." Zell shook his head, ashamed of himself. He was a deadly martial artist, able to kill a man with a single well-placed blow to the head or neck, but he couldn't win at video games. Ever.

Selphie was normally the one to kick his ass every Friday night, but tonight he thought he had a chance. Irvine was just as good at the damn games as his girlfriend. Zell snorted, figuring that he should have known that Irvine would be Selphie's sacrificial lamb for the video game deities. She had to practice on _someone _to gain her lethal gaming skills. "I'm tired of playing anyway. Let's do something else."

"Well, like what? We've got all this beer to drink by ourselves. Squall bailed on us again and we're too drunk to go anywhere. I reckon we could ask him to drive us to a bar, but he said he was busy."

"Tch. Even if he _wasn't _busy, he wouldn't drive us anywhere. If Rin isn't with him, then there's no chance we'll ever drag him into public."

Except for the loud music blaring from the video game, the room was silent as Irvine and Zell considered ways to get Squall to venture into the fearsome public realm...

"Hey Zell? You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"I think so..."

"Strippers."

"Jello shots."

_"Lots _of strippers."

"Jello shots _on _strippers."

"Maybe some chocolate syrup too..."

"Oh yeah..."

Irvine grinned. "Yep, you're my kind of feller. We might have to drug him and hog-tie his ankles to his wrists, but we're draggin' that unsociable bastard to his bachelor party whether he likes it or not."

Turning off the game system, Irvine flicked on the stereo and thumbed through his cd collection. "Well, until then, we're stuck here, so we may as well listen to some music while we're thinkin'. I'd play cards with you, but I'm afraid that I don't play cards with anyone except the ladies..."

"Ladies?" Zell tossed the controller onto the couch and happily opened another beer, sharply popping the bottle cap against the edge of the coffee table. "I've not seen Casanova Kinneas play cards with any ladies at all, except for a certain tiny lady that likes movies with big booms and car chases."

This was very true. Irvine tapped his bottle against his chin, thinking about his favorite little hellcat. He couldn't deny that other women were just...boring. He had dated prettier, richer, and smarter women, all of them wonderful, but that was the problem. They were just prettier, richer, or smarter. And they were all wonderful. How dull.

Selphie...now Selphie was _different_.

Selphie and Irvine were pop rocks and soda pop. Great on their own, but mix them together and wait for the fireworks. "Yeah, well Selphie ain't much fer playin' cards. She ain't got the patience fer it."

Zell laughed. "Patience? I'd say the girl was _made _of patience. Aren't you ever gonna pop the question?"

Pop the question? To Selphie Tilmitt? Hell no! Irvine swallowed hard and wiped beer from his chin, hesitating slightly before answering Zell. "No, I don't reckon I ever will."

Zell felt a surprising twinge of anger at his friend. He had heard the rumors, of course, that Irvine Kinneas was a womanizing bastard that chased anything in a skirt, but Zell had always known better. At least, he _thought_he knew better. "Why the hell not? She's a great girl and she loves you!"

Irvine watched Zell's hands clench into fists, well aware that family meant more to him than it did to any of the rest of their tightly knit orphanage group. Out of all of them, Quistis and Zell were adopted, but only Zell had ever found a real family. Quistis' foster parents were a complete mystery, but Zell talked non-stop about his adoptive family. He loved his ma and would do anything for her.

Irvine had always been a bit jealous of the much shorter man sitting next to him and his easy attachment to the woman that opened her home to him. Chuckling, he said, "I don't reckon I'll get the chance. Selphie'll probably be the one to propose to _me_, so I reckon I best just sit back and wait on her. She's apt to knock the hell out of me if I try to do it the old-fashioned way."

Zell opened his mouth and clapped it shut it again. Irvine had a point. He quickly swallowed the rest of his beer while it was still frosty from the refrigerator. "But...isn't that what every girl wants? Proposal on bended knee? All that jazz?"

Irvine laughed. "Why? You thinkin' about gettin' all matrimonial with Miss Evelyn?"

The blush on Zell's tattooed face was more than enough answer for Irvine. "Well, you know, once I saw how happy Rin was after Squall proposed like that, I kind of thought, you know, that Evie might like it if, you know...tch! I don't know. I thought they all liked the big romantic gestures."

"Easy there, partner. I gotcha. But no, I don't think every girl wants the same thing."

"They don't?" The few ideas that Zell had considered now seemed destined to fail. If Evie didn't want traditional and by-the-book romance, then he was lost. "Then what the hell do they want?"

"Well, I reckon that depends on yer girl. Rin likes the bended knee and roses type of guy and Selphie obviously has a thing for gods among men..." Zell slapped Irvine on the back of the head at this less-than-modest statement. "...Ow! I'm just kiddin'! But like I was sayin', Sef hates to be bored, so proposin' to me would be just like her."

"Yeah, that's great and all, but what about me? What the hell am I supposed to do for Evie?" At that moment, Zell really didn't care about anyone else. He was worried about the perfect way to show his girlfriend that he thought she was just great. No, more than that. She was _awesome _and there was nobody else like her.

"Hmm. Well, I don't know 'bout that. Those smart girls are tough nuts to crack. Figurin' out your girl would be about as tough as figurin' out Quistis."

"Figure out Quistis? Are you crazy? I don't think that _anybody _will be able to figure her out. She's just so...well, she's just so Quisty-ish that I can't picture her with anybody. I kind of wonder if those Trepies haven't turned her against men with all those love notes..."

The thought of two hundred very disappointed male Trepies standing outside of Quistis' classroom when she told them that she was officially against men made Irvine laugh aloud. "Come on now, Zell. She's just had a miserable run of bad luck with fellers. You shoulda seen that perv of a gorilla that Selphie sent to her dorm that night. Good ol' Quisty punched him in the eye and then..."

"Really? What'd he do to her?"

Irvine thought for a second. Come to think of it, Quistis never would tell them what exactly the oaf said to make her flip out like that. She simply said that she never wanted to hear anyone utter the words 'raspberry swirl' in her presence ever again. "You know, I'm not really sure, but it musta been somethin' purty bad to make her go nuts. Quisty's always been mighty level headed."

Great. Quistis was level headed, but that still didn't help Zell figure out what he was going to do for Evelyn. "Come on, Irv. You gotta help me out man! Everyone knows that you're the go-to guy for mushy stuff. I'd ask Evie herself, but then it wouldn't be a surprise."

_beep...beep...beep..._

Irvine almost dropped his beer bottle in his hurry to answer his cell phone. It wasn't that he didn't _want _to help his buddy, but he really didn't have any good advice for him. Irvine believed that personal business should be kept personal. It was hard enough keeping Selphie in line with her mad attempts at setting Quistis up with their friends. He didn't want to play romantic consultant for everyone he knew. There were certain things that had to be figured out on one's own.

Flipping open his phone, he was pleased to see that it was Selphie's number on the display screen. She had only been gone for eight hours or so, but he missed the little hellion when she wasn't around. "Yep? Oh, hey darlin'! Naw, we ain't seen him tonight. Said he was real busy with some paperwork and...what? She's alright, ain't she? With _who? _Why's Rin so upset about somethin' silly like that? Well, yeah, I can understand that, I reckon, but why did she start yellin' at Quisty? Hm? Holy hell! Xu was there too? Did the cops show up again? No? That's a relief. Oh, yeah, I'll find him and meet ya'll at the train station. Yep. Love ya too, darlin'."

"What was that about?" Zell struggled to balance a potato chip on the end of his nose. It was useless. No matter what he did, the chip seemed bent on falling towards his mouth or chin. The chip had accepted its fate and wanted to meet its maker. Or its, umm, un-maker. Zell wasn't sure, since potato chip Zen wasn't his forte. It was just easier to eat the damn things.

Irvine shushed Zell long enough to dial Squall's number, hoping that he was still in his office. There were times when he felt practically unmanly about his dependence on Selphie, but he was a beast of a he-man compared to Squall. If Rinoa wasn't around, Squall retreated into his shell, occasionally appearing long enough to snatch a quick meal from the cafeteria, then slinking back to his office or dorm to wait for her return. The stoic commander often reminded Irvine of a lion caged in a zoological exhibit, waiting on his trainer to show so he could be rewarded with a scrap of meat. Or a smile. It just depended on Rinoa's mood.

When Squall's soft voice finally answered, the cowboy felt almost foolish for what he had to tell him. Who the hell cared if Quistis was dating Rinoa's father? If she wanted to date Hyne himself, who were any of them to argue with her? "Squall! I'm glad I caught you. Look...what? Yeah, I've been drinkin', but that ain't why I called. I need you to take me to the train station...what? No, just to meet your girlfriend and Selphie. What? NO! Nothing like that! Now, that's goin' too far! I like kinky, but I...wait...did you just make a joke? Holy hell. I don't believe it." Irvine plopped back on the couch next to Zell, stunned that Squall Leonhart had a sense of humor. A malnourished and skinny sense of humor, but still...

Zell looked up from his careful study of a chip that bore a strong resemblance to his late grandmother's profile, even down to the wart on the end of her nose and her beehive hairdo. Freaky. Afraid that her spirit might be watching him, he slid his beer underneath the coffee table and tightly clasped his hands in his lap. Innocently whistling the theme song to his favorite cartoon, Zell thought it might be in his best interests to work his way back to his dorm. Then he could call his ma and make sure that Granny didn't have any pressing matters left in the world of the living that would make her spy on her beloved grandson. He silently cursed himself, wishing that he had confessed when he broke the old woman's favorite vase. "Hey, Irv. I think I'm gonna call it a night and hit the hay before..."

Wait. Zell leaned closer, trying to catch a few snippets of Irvine's conversation. What was he telling Squall? What was that about a fight between Rinoa and Quistis?

Vengeful potato chip granny spirits or no, Zell's curiosity glued him to the couch to find out what the hell was going on. It was hard to determine the specifics when eavesdropping on just one half of a cell phone conversation, but he was able to piece together enough to know that there was something brewing between Rin and Quisty.

Even if Quistis and Rinoa weren't exactly the _best _of friends, they always seemed to be very fond of each other. Sure, there were times when Quistis would grumble that Rinoa was spoiled and bratty, and there were the times when Rinoa would throw her hands in the air and moan about Quistis' bitchy spells, but they always seemed to like each other.

Really.

Umm...maybe.

Ugh. Zell realized that he had too many beers to think about anything deep. Thinking deeply made him think of deep water, which made him think of deep rivers, which reminded him that he had to go to the bathroom. Like soon.

Really soon.

After travel arrangements were made and Squall agreed to take Irvine to the train station, he turned to Zell and loudly exhaled a long held breath. "Well, hell's bells."

"What? What happened?"

Irvine removed his hat and adjusted his ponytail. He had a strange suspicion that Selphie would force him to the floor so she could sit behind him on the couch and braid his hair. She did things like that when something was bothering her. Those tiny fingers of hers were meant to stay busy, whether it was dismantling the toaster or braiding his long hair. He sometimes wondered if she loved him so much just so she could tie pretty yellow ribbons in his ponytail. "Well, you know how Rin and Sef were hell-bent on gittin' to that opera to snoop on Quisty?"

"Yeah. So?" Zell started to fidget in his seat. The beer he ingested was hammering at his bladder, trying to find an easy escape route. "Come on, man. We're not in one of your cowboy movies. Talk fast. I gotta take a piss."

Irvine was almost offended. True, his thick Galbadian drawl meant that his speech was a bit slower than his fast-talkin' Balamb friends, but that was no reason to insult him. Grinning, Irvine threw a little extra twang into his vowels and tore the clip off his consonants. If Zell was in a hurry, then he was talkin' to the wrong pissed off hombre. "Well, it turns out that Miss Quistis Trepe...you 'member her, right? Smart girl with glasses?"

Zell thought he might punch Irvine in the head if he didn't hurry. "Come on, man! I'm dying!"

"Well, it appears that she has been seeing Rinoa's dad for the past few weeks and... Now, I trust that you 'member him too. Tall guy? Wears a lot of badges and stripes, as I recall... I ain't real sure on the partic'lars, but I think he might do somethin' for the army... Now, the Galbadian army has a long and rich history datin' clear back to the fifth century..."

"Irvine, I swear to God, I'm gonna pee on your couch if you don't..."

Figuring that Zell had been punished enough, Irvine decided to spill his story so they could meet Squall and fetch the girls. He was worried about them. Being far more emotional and open, Rinoa was likely to cry or stomp her feet, although he knew from experience that she wasn't averse to throwing wine or pinching. Pinching _hard. _Lessons had indeed been learned during that little prison rescue mission. Letting the world know that she was unhappy was never a problem for her, but Quistis was the cool one. She bit her tongue so much that Irvine wouldn't have been surprised to see scars in her mouth. The paradigm of composure, Quistis never lost her temper.

Except when she snapped.

"Anyway, Quistis has been seeing him for the past few weeks and it didn't exactly make Rinoa too damn happy. Selphie said that they were screamin' and hollerin' at each other at the general's mansion and now Rinoa is bawlin' her eyes out. They're headin' back right now on the late train."

"Oh. That's nice. The late train has pretty good grub, so they can probably snag one of those awesome hoagies." Zell couldn't hold it anymore. Running to the bathroom, he relieved himself of a _lot _of pressure, flushing the toilet with a huge grin on his face. Much better. Now, back to business. Returning to the living room, Zell started to clean up the potato chips and beer from the coffee table. "So, does that mean that..."

Wait one damn minute.

Quistis?

Rinoa's dad?

Together?

But...that would mean that they were..._involved, _right? Quistis could do better than some old man, couldn't she? Eew. He was _old. _How fucking creepy.

* * *

_What's your location?_

"I'm at the mansion." Anthony continued to search his dresser drawers and bathroom cabinets for something that could be used to break through the bedroom door. Unaccustomed to strong liquor, his body was rebelling, sending him to the toilet every time he tried to stand upright. He had no idea that alcohol could cause such a reaction. Well, he had an idea, of course, since he learned about the effects of ethanol intoxication in his survival courses, but he had no _practical _experience with hangovers.

Even the simple act of keeping his cell phone between his ear and shoulder was making him dizzy. Stumbling as he dug through socks and underwear, soaps and aftershave, Anthony looked for _anything _that would help him out of his, admittedly, very comfortable Bastille.

Xu hadn't told him that too much tequila would make the walls spin, but then again, she hadn't told him that she was trapping him in his bedroom, either.

Bitch.

The little whore had planned this from the beginning. If Alexander found out about his misstep, the entire project could be at risk. He knew when he accepted the assignment that mistakes were _not _forgivable, but he hadn't counted on that instructor and her friend. Her beautiful, crazy friend...

Damn the woman to hell.

_And where is the general?_

Anthony gulped. He wasn't entirely certain, but he couldn't let it be known; at least not until he escaped his prison and determined if Caraway had simply retired with Miss Trepe or if he had gone on one of his many excursions. Maybe he should have let the general just use her and be done with her. He certainly had no problems discarding the rest of the bitches that came begging at his door. Why the hell was she any different?

Damn him as well. The wily old bastard was slick.

Caraway had been perfectly content to remain in Deling City and allow his underlings to manage his military affairs, but the recent presence of that teacher was causing Anthony all sorts of problems. Caraway wanted to go see plays and movies now, just so he could be closer to the little wench. He wanted to disappear for hours so he could walk on the mansion grounds and could direct her attention to native flora. He wanted to go on weekend trips so he could try to seduce the little whore.

Anthony was not pleased. All of his hard work and the endless hours pacing in that man's enormous house meant nothing if Caraway vanished while on some bullshit romantic getaway. The endless surveillance was wearing on his nerves, threatening to snap his sanity into frayed threads. He hadn't realized that they were truly expecting _constant _supervision when he volunteered for the assignment. It was nearly impossible for one man to observe the general and make the necessary reports to his superiors, but they had determined that more than one spy might raise suspicion. Basically they told Anthony, 'Hey, it sucks to be you, pal.'

_Anthony? I'm waiting. Where is the general?_

"He's uh, downstairs. With his date."

_The blonde from the restaurant? Watch her carefully, Anthony. I don't like the control she has over him._

"I don't think that..."

_Anthony. Don't question me. I don't appreciate it. Do as I've told you. Watch him and continue to make your reports. You've done a fine job so far and I would be disappointed if you failed us now._

"Yes sir."

_Good. Now, do something about the girl._

_

* * *

_

Note: So, I changed my mind about Anthony. I may go back and add some stuff to the preceding chapters, but I wanted to have some sort of bad guy for this fic. Just doing a straight love story is fucking HARD! I've much too violent a personality to simply let Q and F get together so easily. Anyway, let me know if this works or not, b/c I'm still open about the direction of this ficcie. I'll go back to the original story if I need to. I'm easy.

Okay, I made a couple of references to random stuff in this chapter. Yeah, Zell and Irvine are playing _Mortal Kombat. _I used to be fucking _awesome _at MKII. I kicked ass when I played as Kitana. Okay, there was also a Tori Amos nod with the _raspberry swirl _bit, and...let's see...

Oh! The name for Zell's girlfriend is from _The Mummy. _I just liked that librarian chick from that movie, the sequels not so much.

"I am...a librarian!" One of my all-time favorite movie lines. Not quite up there with Rhett Butler, but it's definitely on the top twenty.

Back to Q, Fury, Rin, and Xu (who is just so much fun, considering that she had so few lines in the game) in the next chapter. I wanted some humor to balance the soap opera-ish-ness.


	9. Mommy Dearest

_"Well darling, what shall it be tonight? The one about the troll and the farmer's daughter?"_

"_No…"_

"_Okay, how about the one about the boy with the magic boots?"_

"_No…"_

"_Well, what about the fairy that lived in the ice cave?" Smiling, Julia placed one hand on her hip and shook her head. If Fury came home with just one more storybook, she meant to throw it at him. Trying to choose a single book from the overflowing shelves in Rinoa's bedroom was a daunting task made all the more difficult by the demands of her very particular daughter._

_"No...not the fairy. Ooh! What about the princess and the dragon? That's my favorite and…" Rinoa yawned, but covered it with her tiny hand so that her mother wouldn't see it. If Mommy knew that she was tired, then she might not get her story._

_"Again? But honey, we read that one every night!" Julia almost smiled when she saw her daughter's attempt at stealth yawning, but hid her amusement behind her own hand. Moving Mr. Bear to the side, she took his spot so that she was lying on the pillow next to her baby girl. "Wouldn't you like to try another? I know a very good one."_

_Rinoa seemed skeptical. Her daddy had tried to read a different story to her the previous night and it was just awful. It had an evil sorceress and a tower, but there was no princess at all. Daddy's stories just weren't as good as Mommy's stories, even if he did do all the voices for the bad guys. "Hmm...does it have a princess?"_

_"Oh yes! After all, for it to be a proper story, it must have a princess."_

_"Okay!"_

_"In that case, shall I begin? Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess named Rinoa..."_

_Brown eyes widened in astonishment. "Really? Just like me!"_

_"Yes! Just like you! And just like you, she had big brown eyes and a cute smile and a stuffed bear..."_

_Rinoa yawned again and cuddled closer to her mother, inhaling that very warm Mommy scent of jasmine and cookies. She loved story time. That was when her Mommy always told her about the brave knight that never used his sword, but had a magic pen that made the villains fall asleep when he wrote his tales. He was the one that went to the tower and saved the lonely princess from the castle in the clouds and took her away so they could live happily ever after. She loved those stories, because they were Mommy's favorites, but this one was different! This princess was named Rinoa too! Wow!_

_"She even had a bear? Like Mr. Bear?"_

_"Of course, except his name was Sir Bear and he was the greatest bear in the land!" Julia loved story time as well. Whether she was telling a story or singing to her daughter, the time she spent in that bedroom was her favorite part of the day. It was the only time that she could lose herself in her own magical land where disappointment was banished with a quick spell or a clever word and handsome knights never went to war._

_Brushing dark hair off of Rin's forehead, she watched her eyelids get heavier and heavier as she continued her tale. "And this princess lived in a magical palace and she had parents that loved her very much..."_

_"Like you and Daddy?"_

_Julia hesitated. She was ashamed of herself for doing it again. There were times that it was so easy to forget about Fury, especially when she was dreaming about Laguna. It wasn't that she didn't love her husband. He was a wonderful father and so very patient. Her heart was broken when Laguna disappeared, but her dear friend Fury had been right there, always eager to offer his help, always ready to send some men out to find her missing soldier. And when none of the attempts to locate him were successful, Fury was still there, waiting for her. Always waiting. She owed him so much, but she simply couldn't bring herself to give that part of her soul to Fury, not when it was still possible that Laguna might hear her song on the radio and find her. The brave soldier might hear his princess singing from her tower and rescue her yet._

"_Mommy?"_

_So lost was she in her own story that she hadn't paid attention to what she was telling Rinoa. "Y-yes. Of course. Like your father and myself. And this princess had tea parties in the garden with her friends and..."_

_Julia heard a deep sigh and looked down. Rinoa was already asleep, no doubt dreaming of dances in castle gardens filled with roses painted by sunshine and rain. Kissing her on the cheek, Julia turned off the lamp and tucked Mr. Bear in next to her beloved daughter._

_"Good night, Rin."_

_"Wake up, Rin..."_

_"Wake up..."_

_"Wake..."_

"Hey Rin? Yoo hoo! Wake up! We're at the station." Selphie poked a dozing Rinoa in the cheek, then quickly jerked her hand away so that Hell-Hath-No-Fury Heartilly wouldn't have the opportunity to snatch her fingers with her teeth. She had seen Rinoa _plenty_ pissed off before, but never had she seen a tantrum like the one just a few hours ago. Not from Rinoa, anyway. Zell's tantrums when he missed all-you-can-eat hotdog nights…those were fits of myth and legend, but then again, they were from _Zell. _It was just _different _to see Rinoa flip out like that. Selphie wasn't entirely sure how to handle her friend when she was so scary, so the florescent glow from the Balamb train terminal was more than a welcome sight.

Rinoa rubbed her eyes and yawned. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but she was exhausted and eager to forget what she had just discovered, so when her eyelids began to droop, she surrendered. It was silly, but she hoped to wake and find that the past few hours were just some twisted dream. One look at Selphie's worried face and she felt her jaw clench until she thought her teeth might shatter from the pressure. No, it wasn't a dream at all.

That man and Quistis.

Her father and her friend.

Damn both of them. For one moment, she wondered if she might have reacted another way if she happened to discover them while they were just reading the newspaper or playing cards, something that involved very little smiling or laughing. Seeing them so…well, so _happy _in each others' company hurt far more than actually learning that they were dating.

Why couldn't Quisty have just _told _her that she was interested in her father? It would have made things so much easier than finding out that she had been sneaking behind her back to meet him. And why couldn't the general have mentioned that he was taking her to the opera when she called for the tickets?

Was it that difficult for them to be honest with her? Why did they have to be so…? Ooh, why the hell didn't one of them just _tell _her?

"What time is it?"

Selphie shrugged. "All I know is that we've missed the midnight roller derby and striptease on _GSPN, _so it's really late."

"Hmm."

"Don't you 'hmm' me. You need some sleep and you need your guy. Now let's go. They're waiting on us." Grabbing Rinoa's hand, Selphie dragged her out of the train into the bright lights of the station. Heels clicking on the industrial tiles, their footsteps seemed unnaturally loud to both women, even though the station was far from empty. Like any public location where the shifts simply blur together and the day never ends, the terminal was still pulsing with life. Dodging slack-jawed travelers and groggy businessmen, they managed to make their way to the benches by the main ticket window, where Squall was clearly agitated with the way that Irvine kept dozing off and leaning against him.

Rinoa felt the brittle shell of anger crack when she Squall stand from the bench and greet her with his hands in his pockets. Running to him, she buried her face in his shoulder and breathed in the familiar, clean scent of his clothes. She smiled slightly when he exhaled. He rarely hugged her, especially not in front of people, but when she felt his body relax for her, it was just as good.

"Selphie called, so I came to get you."

"I know. Please. Let's go home. I'm so tired and I want to go to bed."

Squall said nothing else, but Rinoa didn't need to hear him say anything. Simply being near him was enough. Squeezing his arm, she pulled him towards the exit.

Irvine watched them go, then turned to Selphie and tipped his hat up with his thumb. "Darlin', I don't often say this about my friends, but that little lady looks like shit. I don't know if I'll let the two of you go off without an escort again if you're gonna drag her home lookin' like that."

"Irvie, if you make jokes right now, I swear I'll…"

"Who's jokin'? I'm serious as I know how to be. Ya'll shoulda known better'n to run off where you had no business."

Hitching her bag on her shoulders, Selphie felt the broken pieces of her binoculars shift and move against each other. Hmm. He might have had a point, but there was no way she was going to let him know about it. She felt guilty enough about the whole mess as it was without him rubbing her face in it.

"Look, Irvie. I've had a long night. I've just listened to my best friends in the world scream at each other and I don't think they're going to just wake up in the morning and meet for coffee. Rin looked like she could have killed Quisty and Quisty just kind of…stood there, like she couldn't believe that Rin would actually…"

"It can't be all that bad, darlin'. They've been through too much together to let some silly thing like this make 'em…"

Selphie squared her shoulders and took a long, slow breath. "Bad? You weren't there, Irvie and you didn't see what I saw. It was so bad that _Xu_ told me to take care of _Rinoa_. _That _is how bad things got tonight. You know as well as I do how much she hates Rin."

Irvine chewed his lip and tried to imagine the otherworldly creaks and moans of shifting ice floes as hell froze over. Nothing less would cause the Xu he knew to give even a moment's thought towards the girl she blamed for so many of her best friend's problems.

"Was it really that bad?"

"Afraid so." Selphie took Irvine's hand and followed Rinoa and Squall to the waiting car. "But what really sucks is that Quisty looked so _happy _with that old bastard."

* * *

_"Read it again."_

_Quistis squinted and tried to decipher the blurred words on the pages of her book. Bringing the heavy book closer to her face, she ignored the throbbing pain behind her eyes and continued, "In consideration of the day and hour of my birth, it was declared by the nurse, and by some sage women in the neighborhood who had taken a lively interest in me..."_

_"What did the author mean by 'sage'?"_

_Quistis recalled what she had just read and carefully considered the word. "Does it mean old?"_

_"Don't be stupid. Use your brain, girl. If such was the case, then why wouldn't he simply describe them as 'old'?"_

_"Oh." Quistis mouthed the words and thought hard. She knew that Mother kept sage in the spice cabinet, even though she was a terrible cook and she never used it, but surely the author wouldn't have spicy old women in his story. That made no sense at all. Absurd. That was a new word she learned from one of her father's books. Spicy women in such a thick book would be absurd. She tasted the word on her tongue and wondered how long it would be before she would be able to apply it…which was something else she had read…to a real-life situation. So, sage didn't mean spicy and it didn't mean old. Hmm…_

_"Does it mean smart?" She was getting close. She felt it._

_"Smart? God, your father would be so disappointed if he heard you right now. Be grateful that he's teaching those late courses at the university instead of listening to your mindless babble. I'm ashamed to even be sitting next to you right now, so I know that this would humiliate him." Mother fanned herself with her hand. It was stifling in the small bedroom, but it was even warmer sitting so close to the girl. How the hell could a child so small produce so much heat? And why did the girl insist on laying her head on her arm? Snatching her arm away, she rubbed the spot where the child's hair brushed her skin._

_"I'm sorry."_

_"Well, stop being sorry and start thinking. Your teachers swear that you're as bright as your broth…well, they swear that you're intelligent, but I don't see it. Dim as a broken lamp, that's what I would say if anyone happened to ask me what I think of you. Waste of time."_

_Part of Quistis wanted to cry, but another part of her was getting very angry. She knew she wasn't dim and she knew that her mother was wrong, but it still hurt her feelings to hear those words. Blinking back tears that she was determined to never show Mother, she read the words again. "It's wise, isn't it? He's calling them wise."_

"_Continue."_

_No praise was given, but Quistis was accustomed to that. It simply meant that she had to try harder to impress her. Mother expected the best and Quistis meant to show her that she could be the best._

"_...a lively interest in me several months before there was any possibility of our becoming personally acquainted..."_

"_And why would these women be so interested in this boy?"_

_Quistis thought that nobody in their right mind would take a real interest in such a boring character, but it wouldn't do at all to tell that to Mother. "Well, I don't think they're very interested in HIM, but I think they're very interested in the time of his birth." Eager to show what she discovered when she read ahead, she pointed at the next line of text with a small finger. She hoped Mother would be proud of her._

_Smiling, she looked up to her mother's face and said, "See? They say he's destined to be unlucky and say that he'll be able to see ghosts just because he was born on a Friday. Isn't that funny? It's not that the boy himself is special, but they think that all people born on Fridays are..."_

_Mother snarled when she saw the girl's bright smile. Her boy had once smiled like that when he first started to read, but the same excited expression on the girl's face made her stomach clench in knots. She wasn't working out at all. They had chosen the pretty blonde girl that asked so many questions, hoping that the precocious imp would be able to ease some of the ache left behind when their boy wasted away to nothing, but she only made it worse. Jack had been an intelligent boy and his eyes burned with the same curiosity that now smoldered behind their adopted daughter's long lashes. God, she made it so much worse._

"_Stop right there. I didn't ask you about the women. I asked you about the boy."_

_Disappointed, Quistis felt her enthusiasm wilt like the flowers she had earlier picked for her father. She was so proud of the pretty pink blooms, but he just grunted and told her to put them on the desk. He didn't even bother to put them in water, so they simply dried and faded. Eventually, long after he left home to give his lectures, Quistis quietly entered his workroom and tossed them in the trash, though she tried to straighten the limp petals before she dropped them in the bin._

"_No, you asked about both."_

_Thoroughly exasperated with the girl, Mother tore the book from Quistis' hands and tossed it on the bedroom floor. "Good God, girl! The answer is right there in front of you!"_

_"I-I know! I just...I just told you!"_

"_You most certainly did not! You gave me another one of your smart-ass answers instead of doing what you're told!"_

"_I did not! You asked me why the sage women were interested in the boy and I told you! I can't help it if you can't see it!" It was the wrong thing to say, especially when Mother was in one of her moods, but she had to say it or explode._

"_Shut your mouth! Just shut your damned mouth. This is exactly why your father works so late. He can't stand to be around you, so I always get stuck with you."_

"_I'm sorry!"_

"_Oh? You're sorry, are you? Well, well, well. A fine performance today! You wretched girl, how many times must I tell you to stop acting?"_

_"But, I really am sorry!"_

_"If you would just open your damned eyes and read what's in front of you we wouldn't have these problems!"_

"_I'm trying! It's so hard to see and..."_

_"Don't you dare start with that same old line. 'It's so hard to see'. I've told you a thousand times how much I detest laziness. How do you expect to make anything out of yourself if you keep avoiding your work?"_

_Every single day it was the same thing; the girl swore that she didn't see that last bit of dust on the mantle when she did her chores or she missed the bowl when she poured milk for her cereal. Every damned day she was told to do something and every damned day she came up with another creative way to say that she couldn't do it. First it was the headaches, now it was her eyes. She was doing it for spite. Why else would she act that way?_

_"Work? But, I thought we were just reading a story..."_

_Mother laughed when she heard the girl start sniffling. "A story? I didn't choose this book because of some silly 'story'. I chose it because you need to work on your vocabulary. Your brother had absolutely no trouble whatsoever learning his…his…"_

_Quistis swallowed hard. She tried her best, but no matter what she did, it wasn't enough for her parents. They loved their son too much and she wasn't good enough to live up to his memory._

"_If you ever want to make your father proud, you'll stop this childish behavior and grow up. I'll not have him look at me and tell me that I'm not doing my part with you. Never again. Do you understand me?"_

_Quistis mumbled a half-hearted 'yes' and fell back on her pillow. She wanted nothing more than to sleep so she could be left alone, but that was impossible on the nights that Father worked late. She didn't understand why Mother was always worse on those nights, but she was and nothing she did made it any better. Almost on cue, Mother grabbed her chin and roughly pulled her upright. Quistis could smell the spearmint gum that Mother always chewed, even while she was eating. She hated spearmint. "I said, do you understand me?"_

"_I understand you."_

_Picking the book up from the floor, Mother pressed it into Quistis' chest and smiled. "I don't believe you. You never understand anything. You're to read up to chapter eight and summarize the events in the morning."_

"_Eight? But…that'll take all night!"_

"_Oh? Is that a problem? Lazy, useless child. Jack was always so excited to tell his mommy what he read, but you're a lazy, lazy child that wants to disappoint her mother."_

_She wasn't lazy. She tried so, so hard. Quistis reached for her hand, but Mother snarled and jerked away, almost as if she thought the child meant to bite her instead of just trying to touch her. "I-I don't want to disappoint you, Mother."_

_Though she tried not to, Quistis started crying when Mother didn't answer. Mother was terrifying when she was quiet. "I'll do better. I promise. Please, I want you to be proud of me like you were of Jack."_

"_Never say his name. Do you understand? Not you. You're not…" Choking, Mother rose from the bed and flipped the lights off. Before she shut the door and left Quistis in darkness, she muttered, "Forget the reading and go to sleep. I don't want to look at you anymore."_

"_Oh, Mother, I'm so sorry. Please don't go…"_

_Without another word, Mother left and Quistis pressed her palms into her eyes, rubbing furiously at the flashing violet spots that always appeared when she struggled to see. Stupid. Why did she have to say something stupid like that? Now Mother would tell Father and they would be upset with her again._

"_Why did you have to say something like that? Why couldn't you have kept your mouth shut? Why did you…"_

"…not open your goddamned mouth and tell that little slut to hang herself from the nearest tree?"

"Shut your mouth, Xu."

"Oh! _Now _you decide to tell someone to shut up! You have your best fucking friend trying to help you and you tell her to shut up, but then you have some rich bitch insulting you and you just stand there and take it. I just don't understand you sometimes." Xu placed her feet on the dash and pressed a pattern of boot prints onto the interior of the windshield while she waited for the light to turn green. She _hated _riding with Quistis. As far as she was concerned, the rules of the road existed simply because there were some people, like Quistis, that insisted on following them. If it hadn't been for that tequila, she would have already had them halfway back to Balamb, but they were still in Deling City, waiting for one vindictive traffic light to make its point. "Would you hurry up and go?"

"The light isn't green yet."

Xu checked the intersection and gestured to the empty road. "Well, there are no cars around, so that makes it green enough for our purposes. Go."

"No."

"Go."

"_No."_

"Damn you, Q. Go!"

"I don't want a ticket, so I'll remain here until the light changes and I have the right-of-way." Calm and unruffled, Quistis rested one hand on the wheel and the other on the gearshift. Glancing to her side, she noticed that Xu was staring at her profile. "There is no reason for you to stare at me like that. Why don't you take a nap while I drive, eh Xu?"

"A nap? Are you fucking kidding me?"

The light changed and Quistis slowly shifted gears, taking the left turn that would lead them to the freeway. "No, it's a long drive and you need some rest. You've driven all day and you're bound to be tired. Besides, it's my turn, so…"

"Don't do this."

"Don't be silly. Now, what do we want to listen to on the way home? Let's see…" Flipping on the overhead light, she chose a couple of cds and held them up to read the labels. She wanted to hear shredded voices and pounding bass lines, anything that wasn't beautiful. "So, do you want to hear _Doomtrain_ or _Blood Soul?"_

"Q, please…"

"_Blood Soul _it is." Sliding the cd in the disc changer, Quistis turned the volume up and increased her speed so the noise from the engine would drown Xu's pleading. The keening guitar and croaking vocals of the lead singer managed to accomplish this, at least until Xu raised her own voice.

"Q, don't ignore me…"

Quistis reached for the volume knob once more, but Xu yanked her hand away and pounded her booted foot into the stereo until nothing was left but a couple of lonely blinking lights and a faint popping sound from the speakers.

Turning to her with a triumphant gleam in her eyes, Xu grinned and crossed her arms. There was nothing that couldn't be cured with a little vandalism. "Now. I had to break my favorite cd just so I could listen to you, and sister, you better fucking believe that I mean to listen. Every single thing that you wanted to say back there, you're going to say it now. Every goddamned word that you wanted to scream in that bitch's face, you're going to scream it at me now."

Quistis felt her throat tightening as she answered. It was so much easier to just _drift, _but she knew that she couldn't do that this time. Not with Xu riding shotgun. "Xu, please. You saw him. He's still…he still feels so guilty for his wife that he can't…we can't…"

"Oh no. You're not going to do your little act where you bite your tongue and play the good girl. You let people do this to you all the time and I'm pretty tired of seeing it."

"I do not."

Bending over so that she could light a cigarette without the ashes blowing back in her face, Xu inhaled the sweet smoke and forced it from her lungs in a bitter laugh. "You are so full of shit, Q. The last time you acted like you had a spine was when you were giving Anthony hell before you left."

"Well, he was being rude to Fury and I didn't like to hear…"

Xu took another drag and blew the smoke in Quistis' face, chuckling when she grimaced. "Mmm-hmm. See? I do that to _you, _and you don't say a word. If I did that to Caraway, you would have slapped this cigarette right out of my mouth. Sure, that skinny fucker was being rude to him, but he was talking shit about _you."_

"That doesn't change the fact that he was acting like that to Fury…"

Xu rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. "I don't trust him and I don't like how he acts around you. There's just something _off _about him. Why should the general's personal life be such a big deal to him and why should he care so much about you?"

"Well, it doesn't matter now."

"Oh? And why is that? Just because Princess pitched a fit, you don't matter to him?"

"You don't understand how he feels about her. After tonight, I'm sure Fury will…he'll just…" Quistis hesitated, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Xu was right. She was growing very weary of making every one of her decisions based on Rinoa's reactions.

"Great. But while he's wallowing in his little pity pit, what are _you _going to do?"

Quistis smiled. "I don't know, but I'll think of something."

"That's my girl. Now, hit the gas and get us back to Garden. I've gotta do some major sweet talking to get one of the mechanics to fix this car before Cid sees it."

* * *

Note: The lines Quistis was forced to read are from _David Copperfield. _I really don't mind Charles Dickens, but I had Quistis' foster mother make her read it because I HATED that book. If it was me, reading this as a bedtime story would make me hate my parents too. Oh God...TORTURE! I couldn't explain it to you if I tried, but I just can't stand this book. Give me Estella or Ebenezer any day. They're interesting characters. Make me read David Copperfield and we've got problems. Ugh.


	10. Mornings

_The library was silent except for the patter of rain on the windows and the occasional clink of pieces on a marble chessboard. Quistis and Fury sat opposite each other at a tiny table, playing chess again instead of taking that evening walk he planned, but she was still enjoying herself. She watched him scratch his chin as he glowered at the rain, then smiled when he growled under his breath. He continued growling even as he absently moved his last pawn, setting up another disaster for his tiny army. Kicking off her shoes, she murmured, "I wish you would grow a beard."_

"_Mm-hm."_

"_Fury?"_

"_Mmm?"_

"_Did you hear me?"_

_No, he had not heard her. Ever since the rain started, he had been in a foul mood. Sighing loudly, Quistis moved her rook and captured the general's bishop. Two, maybe three more moves and another match would be hers. Amazing. For the general to be such a brilliant strategist, she found that she had a remarkably easy time defeating him at chess. Too easy, in fact. He needed to pay attention to the game…and he really needed to pay attention to her. She didn't come all the way to Deling just so he could grumble about the weather._

"_What? Is it my turn again? I just…" Fury noticed that the black king was in danger, but once his adversary began sliding her foot along his calf, he decided that he simply didn't care. Besides, he had long ago forgotten if he was playing black or white, or if he was even playing chess, for that matter. Instead of spending the night cooped up in the library, he wanted to walk with her and show her a peculiar night-blooming flower, but her foot against his knee seemed much more interesting than nocturnal botany. When she was in a mischievous mood and wanted to tease him, he learned that he had a disturbing tendency to ignore the rest of the world._

_Not much wider than the chessboard, the gaming table separating him from Quistis was small enough so that he could simply extend his hand and touch her, though every time he tried to do something as simple as hold her hand, Anthony would clear his throat and disturb them. The sergeant was keeping a very close eye on the goings-on on top of the table, but it was obvious that he had never considered what might be happening below the game. Of course, if he wanted to be honest with himself, Fury hadn't considered what was going on until Quistis removed her shoes and started moving her toes along…"W-what did you say?"_

_His attention now completely hers, she lowered her foot to the floor and purred, "I think it would suit you."_

_Anthony heard the low voices and glanced at the pair from his post at the desk. He watched them for several minutes. The girl was resting her chin in one hand and fiddling with a chess piece with the other, while the general seemed to be contemplating his next move. Satisfied that they were suitably engrossed in their game instead of each other, he returned his attention to his notes._

_Though she kept her eyes on her melting opponent, Quistis did notice that Anthony was curiously focused on his paperwork. Always an odd fellow, his behavior the past few days had been strange even for him. When he wasn't obsessing over the general or following her every movement, he was writing notes from newspapers from all over the Galbadian continent. The busy scratching of his pen was almost enough to drown the sound of his affronted breaths, though he made it a point that Caraway and his date knew that every disgruntled puff was directed at them. Had he not always been so rude to her, she might have felt sorry for him, but as it stood, she was glad to see that he was drowning in his reports._

_At the very least, with his concentration temporarily on his work, Anthony gave her a rare chance to flirt with her general. Leaning forward, she gently stroked his cheeks and said, "You need to shave, General, but I'd much rather you not do it. I think you'd look good with a beard."_

"_A beard?"_

"_Yes, but nothing extreme..." Running her thumb along the dark stubble under his lower lip, she wondered at the difference that a few hours could make on his handsome face. Even after a long day dealing with the demands of Galbadia, his uniform was still sharp and pressed, his shoes somehow managed to keep that mirror gloss, and his black hair remained neatly combed; everything about him screamed perfection. She liked to see that rebellious shadow creeping on his chin at the end of the day. "I'd love to see what you'd look like if you would just relax for a day or two, but I suppose I won't get to see that until…"_

_Fury was disappointed when she dropped her hand back to her pieces and renewed her study of the board. He moved his knight, but his forces had been devastated by the vicious white army and a lone soldier simply wasn't enough to save his king. The skilled mind and pretty fingers of the woman across from him had seen to that. "But a beard? Are you serious?"_

"_Mm-hmm. Very serious." Noting the way he followed her hands with his eyes, she smiled and returned her foot to his leg, though she moved much higher this time, effectively ending their chess game. "Checkmate, General Caraway."_

"_Check…? That's cheating, Miss Trepe." Fury grabbed her foot and mercilessly tickled the instep. He grinned when his captive began writhing under his hand, certain that she would never forgive him for making her lose her composure. "Psychological warfare, no matter how pleasant, is something I've never encouraged and…quit squirming! You brought this on yourself, Miss Trepe."_

_Quistis bit her lip in an effort to keep from laughing, though she was helpless to stop her knee jerking underneath the table. She flicked a pawn into his lap and begged, "Stop! Please, Fury!"_

"_Now, you were the one that insisted on using diversionary tactics to…"_

_The legs of Quistis' chair screeched and chess pieces clattered to the floor when she struggled to pull away from his hands. He chuckled and continued his assault, not caring that Anthony was clearing his throat so much it sounded like he was choking to death._

_Quistis leaned forward and seized his wrist, certain that she was going to die if he continued to torture her like that. Clutching his fingers, she finally surrendered and began laughing harder than she had since she was a child. "Okay, okay, I give up! Your game! Please! I can't…I can't stand being tickled!"_

_Fury stopped long enough to watch her catch her breath, though he regretted touching her as soon as her gaze met his. Hair that had previously been pulled back into a dignified twist was now falling over her face and Fury found himself brushing those traitorous strands back just so he could have a better view of her eyes. Her flushed cheeks and parted lips were making him think of many, many things, none of which involved chess._

"_Ahem! General Caraway, the rain has stopped. It's getting very late and I believe that it's time Miss Trepe caught her train back to Balamb."_

_Quistis sighed when the general jerked his hand from her face and removed her foot from his lap. She should have known that she would never be able to have one peaceful evening while the watchdog was in the mansion. Glaring at Anthony, she muttered, "You know, we could take him with us on a skiing vacation to Trabia. There are caverns and ravines so far removed from civilization that they wouldn't find his body until spring…"_

"_God, don't tempt me. But if he's this bad now, can you imagine how his ghost would be?"_

"_Anthony as a ghost? Now that is a frightful thought indeed." For once, she was glad of Anthony's interruption. Gathering her shoes, Quistis quickly moved to the door. She had planned on staying the night, but she hadn't expected to see a look of such longing in Fury's eyes. It was different than the lustful glances she sometimes received from those awful blind dates and her hormonally charged students, but his obvious desire for her wasn't what bothered her. There was something there that she had only seen when Squall smiled at Rinoa, or when Irvine and Selphie had one of their infamous fights. Whatever it was, she didn't know if she could handle it._

_Fury followed close behind, ignoring Anthony's indignant protests. "Where the hell do you think you're going? I don't care how much that skinny bastard whines, you're not leaving while it's storming like this!"_

"_Don't be silly. The rain has stopped, so I should be able to make it to the station before it starts again."_

"_So what if it has?"_

"_I can't. You don't understand."_

_What the hell was there to understand? Did she still doubt that he thought only of her? Was she still afraid of his wife's memory? Surely not. There had to be something else that kept her just out of reach, something that he could repair, if only she'd give him the chance. "Don't go. Stay with me tonight."_

_There it was again, that frightening feeling that he wanted her. Too much, too soon…and altogether unfamiliar. "I…I have to leave. I'll see you next week, okay? Maybe the weather will be nicer and you can show me those flowers."_

"_Quistis…"_

"_Please. I really do want to take that walk with you, so I'll be back."_

"…and of course you have the nine o'clock meeting with the senate to discuss your decision on…"

Shaving cream fell into the sink with a thick splat. Caraway lifted his chin so he could drag the razor through the thick stubble on his jawline, cursing pre-noon existence and all who dwelled within. Dedicated soldier or not, waking before the sun had never ranked very high on his list of favorite things. It fell somewhere above being shot in the knee, but well below a cold beer on a hot day. And being harassed by an overzealous sergeant with a clipboard wasn't making things a damn bit easier. Flicking another glob of foam into the sink, he muttered, "Can't this wait until I'm dressed?"

Anthony looked up from the schedule and noticed for the first time that the general had only a towel around his waist and a straight razor in his hand. Braver men than him would have quailed at such a sight, but Anthony was a man on a mission.

"I'm afraid this won't wait, sir. They've entertained you long enough and they want an answer."

Caraway laughed. "I've entertained them, have I? Fancy that. I never figured myself for much of an entertainer. Maybe I should ask Damaris to make a spot for me in her next comic opera. How many tickets do you think I'll sell?"

"Sir, I believe that you know what I mean, so…"

"Yes. I know exactly what you mean. I'll be at their damned meeting, then I want you to make a call to Balamb Garden."

Anthony looked up from his clipboard in surprise. It had been three weeks since Caraway mentioned Balamb and he thought that the instructor had finally been forgotten. Alexander was pleased by the tight schedule that he prepared, confident that every movement of the general was now known by every member of their tightly knit group. Anthony had taken great pains to ensure that Alex knew everything about the general, from his normal breakfast routine to the hours he spent in his study. He had told them everything from his favorite haunts to his preferred method of travel.

These recent meeting with the senate, though somewhat unexpected, were no problem. Alex had actually seemed pleased when he told him that the general was meeting at least three times a week to speak with the senate.

But now...

"Sir, I don't think that calling that girl is a good idea right now. She could influence your..."

Fury gripped the handle of his razor and took several deep breaths.

He was tired of Anthony.

"I didn't say a word about calling Quistis, did I?"

If Anthony had been in battle with the general, he might have recognized that strange tone, but he hadn't, so he didn't realize how close he was to having his throat sliced and his body thrown out of the bathroom window. He was accustomed to the general's temper, but he had never seen him truly _angry. _"N-no sir, but I assumed that..."

"I'm going to finish this meeting, then I expect you to have my daughter on the line."

"Sir, you know that she's not returned any of your calls and..."

Fury rinsed the shaving cream from his face and tossed the razor in the sink. "Understand this. You'll have my daughter on the line and you'll never question me again. Is that clear, sergeant?"

"Y-yes sir!"

"Then get the hell out of here and follow your orders. I've been patient with you for months, but you're really starting to piss me off."

* * *

Xu pounded on Quistis' bedroom door, praying that the vibration from her knocks would knock something very fragile and very noisy off of a shelf. The best thing to happen since some nomad discovered that liquor could be distilled from the fruit rotting in the back of his wagon just occurred and she needed her best friend. "Come on Q! Let's go, let's go, let's go! We have to hurry! Wake up!"

Quistis opened the door with a towel around her head and a very disgruntled expression on her face. Xu didn't notice. There were far more important things to worry about than wet hair. Monumental things, exciting things…

"Good! You're awake! Come on! We have to hurry or we'll miss the…"

"Xu! Slow down! What the hell are you so excited about?"

"The corona! The one above the Great Salt Lake! If we leave now, we can catch a ship and meet Ziggy…"

"Ziggy? Oh God, not…"

Xu pushed Quistis back into her bedroom and started plowing through her closet. While she didn't mind if Quistis waltzed out the door naked, she knew that they would never get the chance to leave Garden without someone stopping them. "Yeah, you remember him, don't you? Hot as hell, nice ass, motorcycle…"

"Remember him? How could I forget him? He's the idiot that has a tattoo made from blowfish venom! How he's even still _alive _is a medical mystery!"

During the war, Quistis was admired, sometimes even more than Squall, for her ability to keep a level head when faced with dangerous and life-threatening situations. Once during a lengthy firefight with a Galbadian troop, a bullet grazed her shoulder and she had fallen to the ground. Zell was the one to administer first aid. Holding a cloth to her wound, he was amazed that she wasn't trembling at such a close brush with death. In awe, he asked her how she did it, how she remained so calm when she had very nearly died. She simply gave him a mysterious smile and told him to see to the others. Though she was bleeding and dazed, she knew that she could have never made him understand that Xu was a hell of a lot more creative and much more frightening than death could ever hope to be. If he wanted to know fear, he needed a Saturday night with Xu and her on-again, off-again boyfriend in a crowded bar. "I thought you broke up with him after the fish hook incident."

"Well, I did, but that was until I met him last week for a few beers; now he's the one that's gonna fly the plane while we sky-dive right _underneath_ the motherfucking corona!" Ah ha! Pants! Xu grinned and began tossing clothes on the bed. Now they just needed a shirt and they would be out the door! "This is the chance of a lifetime, Q! It's supposed to be like chocolate and an orgasm and a boxing match and a fireworks show all rolled up together! We have to hurry though, because Ziggy is due in court at the end of the month and he might be going back to jail soon, so…"

Quistis sputtered when Xu threw a pair of jeans in her face. "I am _not _going anywhere with the two of you again!"

"Yes you are."

"I most certainly am not! Besides, I promised Ellone that I would meet her for breakfast so we could…"

"Breakfast? Are you kidding me?"

Quistis jerked on the jeans and moved to her dresser to find a shirt. "I'm afraid not. She's very worried about Rinoa, so she wanted to speak with me to find out what happened. I won't be able to join you and Ziggy today."

She heard Xu collapse on the bed, still whining about misplaced priorities. "But…the corona only shows up for a few days every two years! You can eat breakfast anytime you want! Hell, if you want, you can sky-dive with a breakfast burrito."

"Breakfast is merely the pretense, Xu. You know as well as I do that she's trying to get everyone to make peace before the wedding and she wants to convince me to play nice with Rinoa."

"Oh for crying out loud! Why can't she do like I do and tell Princess to go to hell?"

Quistis laughed, but she knew that Xu understood Ellone's motives as well as she did. Picking up a comb, she quickly untangled her hair and tossed it into an easy ponytail.

Xu watched her for a minute, then jumped off the bed and began walking to the door. "Well, I hate that you think breakfast is more important than skydiving with Ziggy, but I get what you're trying to do. Oh! And Q?"

Quistis turned to see Xu with her hand on the knob. "What?"

Xu smiled and gave her a flashy wink. "Never mind. You'll figure it out one day."

Ellone was in love.

Or maybe just smitten.

No, definitely in love.

Whatever she was, she couldn't take her eyes off the tall, dark, and sinfully handsome waiter working the tables closest to the kitchen. She wished that she had arrived at the restaurant before Selphie, so she could have either requested a table in his section or requested a table near the windows so she wouldn't have to look at him. It almost hurt to see his broad smile given to complete strangers, though not nearly as much as it did to see those bright green eyes laughing with his coworkers as he weaved through tables and customers.

"Ellone?" Rinoa waved her hand in front of Ellone's face, smiling when she jumped. "Are you still with us, or are you still drifting around table 27? Do you think the toast might taste better over there, or is it because of that cutie carrying that tray?"

Ellone blushed and grabbed a menu, humiliated that her future sister-in-law saw her lusting over a waiter at a chain breakfast restaurant. "I was just thinking..."

Selphie looked up from her work of arranging the white sugar packets in a pretty pattern with the blue artificial sweetener packets. "What was Elle looking at?"

Rinoa giggled. "Oh, she wasn't _looking _at anything. She was practically undressing that poor defenseless waiter with her eyes!"

Grinning, Selphie jumped in her chair and scanned the entire dining room from her higher vantage point. "Ooh! Nice job, Elle! He's like a cutie ninja! You want me to yell at him and see if he'll bring us some...?"

Selphie ignored Elle's frantic pleas to sit down. Quistis had just walked through the entrance and was shaking her head, obviously unsurprised to see Selphie Tilmitt standing in a chair at a pancake house. "Shh! Quiet, Elle! There's Quisty! Quisteeee!"

Rinoa stopped laughing at Selphie once she realized that Quistis was indeed approaching their table. "Ellone? I thought you said that we were meeting here for breakfast..."

Jerking Selphie down as their own waiter approached to take their orders, Ellone hurriedly said, "Well, I thought that it would be nice to get the bride and the bridesmaids together for a friendly little..."

Rinoa snorted as Quistis sat down. They looked at each other, then found items of incredible interest in the condiment caddy. Quistis seemed transfixed by the bubbles rising in the bottle of syrup, while Rinoa stared at the grains of salt sticking to the outside of the greasy shaker.

Selphie's eyes bounced from Ellone to Rinoa to Quistis to the proximity of flatware then back to Ellone. A plan was forming... "Say, there's that cute waiter you like so much."

"I just said that he's attractive. I never said that..."

Digging her elbow into Elle's ribs, she spouted, "Why don't you go flirt with him, huh Elle?"

Ellone rubbed her side and gave Selphie the most evil look she could muster. She had almost forgotten how violent the girl could get when she wanted to be persuasive. "Ow! God, I can't breathe right now, much less flirt!"

Napkins fell to the floor when Selphie jerked her from her seat and began pushing her towards the kitchen doors. "Even better! He'll think that you're breathless just by being next to him. It'll work like a charm! He'll be in love with you before the lunch crowd rolls in! Come on! You flirt and I'll coach you. I'm like, the flirting master!"

Quistis watched Selphie drag the bashful Ellone to the kitchen doors and shove her into the arms of the confused waiter. It appeared that Ellone tried to apologize, but the waiter smiled at something Selphie said and offered her a seat. He seemed very pleased by whatever the chattering girl said and Ellone was obviously flattered by his reply.

Rinoa knew what Selphie and Ellone were up to the second she saw Quistis walk in the door. Clever. They knew that she wouldn't throw a fit in the middle of a crowded restaurant. Chewing her lip, she decided to get the conversation started.

"So. How have you been?"

"Fine. And you?"

"I'm doing very well."

So far, so good. Rinoa leaned back so the waiter could place her orange juice in front of her.

"So, how is the teaching?"

"Great. How about your wedding?"

"Fantastic."

Quistis thanked the waiter for her coffee and squarely met Rinoa's gaze. "And do you still plan on inviting your father to the ceremony?"

And there it was! Rinoa was glad that Quistis was tired of being so charmingly civil. "I've not decided yet."

"Perhaps you should, especially considering that it's his money paying for your spiteful extravagance."

Smiling, Rinoa replied, "You seem awfully worried about the money he's spending on me. Not jealous, are you?"

"Don't be foolish. I simply don't want to see him waste his time on such an ungrateful..."

_That _was certainly unexpected. Rinoa's mouth fell open and she faltered for a few seconds, shocked that Quistis was acting...well, shocked that she was acting like _Xu._

Quistis pinched the bridge of her nose and rubbed the corner of her eye that always throbbed before she fell ill with one of her vicious headaches. In an effort to continue her role as big sister instead of spurned and hurt friend, she decided to change tactics. Acting like Xu was with her wouldn't help either of them. "Rinoa, do you realize how lucky you are?"

"Lucky? Do you have any idea at all what you're talking about?"

"Yes, I do."

"I'm one of the most _unlucky _people I know! Do you even realize the kind of stuff I'd had to deal with since I was a kid?"

Quistis sighed. "Let me start from the beginning so you might understand me better. I had to watch Squall fall in love with you after I…"

Though she didn't really _want _to hear about Quistis' crush on her fiance, part of her knew that she would never be able to speak with her again if they didn't talk about him. "You knew he didn't care for you like that."

"I am well aware of where I stand in Squall's affections. I don't need you to remind me."

"Then why are you trying to blame me?"

"Blame you? For being lucky?"

"No, for Squall. We love each other and we…"

"Don't be silly. I know you love each other. I'm happy for you."

"Then why are you acting like…?"

The waiter returned with their orders and placed them in front of his customers, though he wished that he had taken another table. Arguing customers left terrible tips.

Quistis took a small bite of her waffles and gathered her thoughts. "It's kind of funny, now. You see, on my eighth birthday, I asked my foster mother if we could go to the library. She was having one of her good days and I wanted so badly to find a field guide so I could determine what species of bird was nesting in the spruce outside of my bedroom window. We had _such_ a good morning. She even allowed me to hold her hand when we crossed the street…"

Rinoa waited.

"So, we went to the library and she told me that she would wait at the desk while I checked out my books. I knew that Mother valued her time above all things, so I hurried to find a suitable guide before she lost patience with me. I found the book and ran to the desk, but she had vanished. I thought that perhaps she had gone to the restroom, or maybe she went to find a book of her own, so I found a table close to the exit and began reading. It was a very good book. The illustrations and habitat descriptions were superb, especially for such a rudimentary volume. I read for hours." Quistis toyed with a sugar packet, feeling the crystals shift underneath her fingers. Laughing, she asked, "Did you know that the Galbadian gray thrush never nests in anything besides spruce trees?"

"What? No, I didn't know that."

"I didn't either, and I wish that I had never read that caption. Until I read that, I had felt sort of special, sort of important because that bird decided to build her nest outside of _my _window. I was…disappointed to learn that she only wanted the spruce and not me. I started to cry and the librarian brought me a piece of gum. I suppose she wondered why nobody had thought to pick me up and she felt sorry for me."

"You were only eight…"

"Yes, but that was no reason to start crying. The Trepe family does _not_ cry, no matter the circumstances."

Rinoa watched Quistis thank the waiter for refilling her coffee, sipping the steaming liquid and holding the mug to her face as if she were praying. When Quistis lowered the mug and dabbed her mouth with a napkin, she noticed with some small amount of worry that her upper lip was reddened from the searing brew. They sat in silence for several minutes, both unsure where to take the conversation.

"What's it like?"

Rinoa jumped. There was an odd tone to Quistis' voice, a strange whisper hidden behind the simple words. She spooned a mouthful of eggs and chewed slowly, trying unsuccessfully to decipher her meaning. Still thinking, she swallowed the eggs and washed them down with some orange juice. "What is what like?"

Tearing open another packet of sugar, not because she wanted it in her coffee, but to keep her hands busy, Quistis calmly replied, "To hear your mother's voice. You can walk into any music shop on the planet and find a recording of your mother's voice. What does that feel like?"

Breakfast churning in her stomach, Rinoa spat, "Are you serious? It hurts! It hurts like you wouldn't believe!"

"Tell me something, Rinoa. What was your mother's name?"

"What are you talking about? You know my mom's name! You just rubbed it in my face that she's dead and I'll never see her again! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Tell me."

"It's Julia. You know that!"

"Julia…"

"Yeah. Why are you…"

"Your mother had a lovely voice."

"Yeah, she did." Something was off about her questions. She thought that perhaps Quistis wanted to be spiteful and cruel, to make her hurt the same way that she did when she found her with her father, but there was nothing in her questions except for a quiet sadness. "Nobody else can compare to her."

"I bet she sang to you all the time, didn't she? Did she sing you to sleep or sing while she put on her makeup?"

"Of course she did, but why are you asking me these questions? I don't understand why you…"

Quistis smiled. "Do you not? No, I guess you wouldn't understand at all. You see, I've often wondered what my mother's name might have been. Maybe her name was Julia too, or Clare, or Teresa or Jane or…"

Unwilling to look at Quistis, Rinoa watched the hostess seat another group of people. It was a large family, four chattering children and their weary parents, all struggling to squeeze together in a booth. The father finally pulled a chair from another table and sat at the end, sacrificing his spot so his noisy children would stop arguing.

Quistis stared at her profile, briefly wondering what had captured her attention, then dropped her eyes to her hands. "You look like your mother, but I'm sure you see that every time you look in the mirror. Every once in a while, when you turn your head a certain way or when you cross your arms, I see a little bit of your father, but otherwise you look exactly like the pictures that Fury showed me."

"Pictures?"

"Mm-hm. There was one snapshot he showed me of you on your mother's piano, pressing the keys with your toes. Your mother was laughing and you had the cutest smile on your face. Do you remember when your father took that picture?"

"Sort of…"

"He told me that was the night he realized that you had taken after him in just one respect. He said you couldn't play that piano for shit. He was glad he snapped the photo then, because you threw a tantrum and started kicking the keys not long after he pressed the shutter release." Quistis shifted her hands and gently spun the mug clockwise, watching the creamy coffee spin as a separate liquid entity from the ceramic curves. "He talks about you all the time…"

"Well, he can stop talking about me. I'm not the same little girl I was before Mom died. He made certain of that when he started ignoring me. He can't even stand to look at me…"

"You're exactly right. He can't. The resemblance is too…God, do you have any idea the sort of guilt that man feels about your mother's death?"

"Well, he should feel guilty! If he hadn't said those things to her, she never would have driven off, then she might still be here!"

"Would you really want your mother here, Rinoa?"

"Of course I would! I need her!"

"Yes, I understand that more than you will ever realize…" Quistis signaled for the check and began searching for tip money. She had to leave before she started screaming. "…but you're still missing the point. Your mother was unhappy. Very, very unhappy. She put her soul into that song and reached the hearts of millions, yet she couldn't reach the one that she wanted so desperately to find."

"What the hell do you know about my mom's song?"

"Oh come off it, Rinoa. Let's say she was alive right now. Do you think that she would be happy knowing that her one great love never returned to her because he found someone else? Do you think she would be happy seeing Laguna at your wedding, knowing that he never contacted her, even though he had years to do so? Can you imagine how hurt she would be, knowing that _her _daughter was marrying _his _son? At least when she died, she still had that hope, that spark…"

"Don't say those things about my mom!"

"No. You need to hear them. Your father fucked up. I'm not denying that. He screwed you over for years and I know that you hate him. But he has tried for a long time to at least find some peace with you. " She wondered if perhaps she had gone too far, if Rinoa would finally hate her for saying what she had thought of so many times before. "If you want nothing more to do with him, then end your relationship with him for good. Don't do to him what your mother did. End it so he can move on with his life."

"I don't hate him…"

"Then stop acting like you do. Suck it up and either make it better or end it."

"It's not that easy. I've told you this before. We've had problems for years and you wouldn't know anything about it."

Quistis speared an uneaten sausage link with her fork and ran it through a trail of syrup, fascinated by the way the ivory of the plate would appear before being engulfed again by the amber liquid. "Ask Squall about loneliness. Talk to Selphie about how afraid she was when she was shipped off to Trabia. Ask her about the darkness and the ice storms. Ask her about the faeries and the snowflakes and the stories she told herself so she wouldn't cry when the wind howled outside of her dorm. Have Irvine tell you about being ripped away from the only family he's ever known, about shooting cans until his fingers were numb, just so he could have some focus in his life. I could give you countless sob stories about my foster parents, but I won't, because no matter what has happened to everyone else, Rinoa Heartilly has always had it _so much worse_."

"Stop it! I know you guys have had it bad too, but…"

"Shut your mouth. You know nothing about any of us, about what we would do to be in your position. You have a father that loves you, even though he doesn't have the faintest idea how to show it and you're engaged to a great guy that would literally go to the moon and back for you."

Quistis slammed some gil on the table and stood to leave. "I tried so hard with Squall, knowing all the while that he would never return my affection, but I tried anyway, hoping for just a smile or a kind word." Rinoa narrowed her eyes and stood as well, unsure what she might say, but certain that she had to say something.

Something vile uncurled in Quistis' gut, something she thought she had buried years ago. "The psychologists would have fun with our files. Ever taken any psych classes, Rin? Hmm? They'd say that I was after Squall because he's _exactly _like my foster father and they'd say that you tried so hard to find somebody that's _not _like your dad. It's funny though, because look who you're marrying! And now I'm halfway in love with your father, so I don't even know how to figure that one out!"

"That's not funny at all!"

"And I'm not laughing, am I? You know, I hoped that when my name was in the papers and I became a hero, I hoped that my foster parents might call me and say, _Hey! We're finally proud of you! Sorry we shipped you off to military school. We certainly didn't expect you to get thrown into a war, but we're glad you weren't killed!_ They didn't though." He voice broke and she reached down for a sip of her cold coffee. "I've not heard from them since I was 10 years old. When's the last time your dad called you?"

Rinoa bit her lip. The general had spoken with Squall only last week, but she never picked up the phone.

_What did that man want?_

_He just wondered if you were okay._

_You told him I was fine, right?_

_Yeah._

_That was too long of a conversation for just that. What else did he want?_

_No, that was it. I asked him how he was doing too. I figured that if he's going to be my father-in-law, I need to know a bit about him._

_He's a lying jerk. That's all you need to know about him._

_He's a good man, Rin. You know that._

_Oh, he's a great soldier, but he's a terrible father._

_Well, even so, he still asked about you. Aren't you going to ask about him?_

_Fine. How is he?_

_He's worried. He said that the Galbadian senate approached him about running for the presidency._

_So? They've asked him before and he turned them down._

_That isn't what has him worried. He's concerned about you. He said that the last time the senate was in such close contact with him, he had to hire extra security because of some groups making threats. He said that was the only reason he was glad you ran away to Timber. You were safer there than you would have been in Deling, so…_

_Well, he can get over it. Didn't he ask you about his beloved Quistis too?_

_No. He wanted to talk to you, but he said he'd try back later._

Quistis looked to her left and saw Ellone and Selphie peeking at them from behind the rotating pie display. She swore that she was going to give them hell for ambushing her in a packed restaurant. "Look, I'm tired of spending my life in some strange sort of Heartilly purgatory, waiting on you to get over yourself. We all have problems, but not all of us have the chances you do to fix them. All you can do now is make the best with what you still have."

"Nothing is an easy fix! Why are you acting like it is?"

"Because you have to try _something_! Even if it's just meeting him for tea and talking about the weather, you have to make some sort of change! Do you really want to spend the rest of your life hating him?"

Rinoa didn't scream, but her voice carried over the conversations and hubbub of customers enjoying breakfast. "I don't hate _him_! I hate knowing what he used to be and what he is now! I hate that _you _were the one to bring back just a part of my dad, when he won't even look at me! I hate that _you_ can make him smile and I can't even get him to acknowledge me!" The sizzling of waffles could be heard from the kitchen, but for this faint sound, the bustling restaurant had fallen silent, all eyes on the hurt girl with a long-forgotten omelette.

Quistis chuckled. "Welcome to my world, Rinoa. That is _exactly _how I felt when you were able to crack Squall. At the very least, your dad hasn't told you to talk to a wall, has he?"

Rinoa blinked in confusion. "No, of course not. What does that mean?"

Shaking her head, Quistis walked to the exit, turning back long enough to say, "Nothing. It means nothing at all. Just call your dad. I think you're as tired of all this bullshit as I am."

Ellone and Selphie peered around slices of lemon meringue and chocolate cream, expecting Rinoa to heave a salt shaker at Quistis, but they were surprised to see her sit down and signal the waiter to bring her a cup of coffee.

Selphie giggled. "That was kind of like an episode of _As Esthar Turns, _wasn't it? Like when Cornelia discovered that Prometheus was her dad right before she sold his love-child to the mean old Dr. Francois and she had to go into disguise so that her clone was the one put into the coma and she escaped with that smooth-talkin'..."

Ellone looked at Selphie and started to reply, but realized that she had no idea how to respond. She was sure that whatever she was jabbering about made sense in her mind, so she simply nodded.

Selphie was pleased to see that Ellone understood how soap operas really did mirror real life. Irvine always rolled his eyes, and Zell always laughed at her, so it was super that she finally had some support! "That was great! Elle, you're a genius!"

"I am? I thought that since they were in public, they might not get in a fight, but now..."

"Oh that's nothing! If they were fighting, Rin would've already smashed that omelette into Quisty's face." Selphie considered sneaking into the pie display and stealing a slice of cherry, but she decided against it. She had to watch her figure, after all, since they had to go to that fitting for the bridesmaids dresses next...

"EEEP!"

"What? What's wrong?"

Selphie grabbed Ellone's hand and jerked her back towards the table, whispering along the way, "We've made some progress, but we've gotta get these gals back on real speaking terms pronto and in a hurry! We've got dress fittings next week and I don't want Quisty crying mascara all over her pretty blue gown!"


	11. Proposals

Anthony was beginning to get stressed.

Caraway was on his ass daily, sending him all over the first floor of the mansion in search of records and forms, bellowing into the speakerphone just to order a cup of tea or another cigar, forcing him to scurry and arrange meetings for God-knew what purpose; he thought it was difficult to keep up with the general when he was courting that girl, but now that he was bored and he had no battles to plan, Anthony was learning just how difficult Fury Caraway could be.

"No sir. She's not visited in weeks."

_That's good to hear. She's a very intelligent girl and she knew too much of our movement. I wasn't aware that she personally knew members of another group until I spoke with the son of one of my old friends at the pub..._

"Yes, she is very bright, but I believe that you give her too much credit."

_What have I told you before about interruptions?_

"I'm very sorry sir." Dust fell into Anthony's eyes as he pulled another box of paperwork from a long-forgotten shelf. He had worked too damned hard to achieve his rank to be sent on errands that a secretary could have completed. That crazy bitch with the lingerie certainly wouldn't have put up such demeaning tasks. He still couldn't believe that a respected institution like Balamb Garden would allow a woman like _Xu _to answer phones and offer coffee to visiting clients.

Then again, Balamb was famous for the might of her fighting forces, so maybe they had the right idea. 'Strike fear into the hearts of your enemies and if you can look hot as hell doing it, then that's even better.' He wiped sweat from his face and laughed at his silent little joke, wondering what she might say if she saw him digging through a closet for some bullshit paperwork.

_It's a pity we couldn't have a mind like hers planning for our organization instead of someone like you. We'd have Galbadia on its knees by now._

He nearly dropped the phone. It wasn't _his _fault that Alexander wanted to take his sweet time and learn every damned thing there was to know about their enemy. He even knew that Caraway ate cinnamon in his oatmeal for breakfast every morning. Why the hell did the resistance need to know something like that? "Sir, t-things are progressing much faster now that I've been able to keep her away from the general. She was the biggest reason it's taken me so long to get to this position. I could have had so much more information to you if she had never become such a problem."

_Yes, she was a problem for you, wasn't she? As I said before, it's a shame we didn't have her working for us. She was able to get closer to him in just a few weeks than you were able to get in nearly a year._

Anthony unbuttoned his collar and fanned his face with a crumbling folder. It was stifling in the tiny closet. Caraway probably didn't even know what forms he had sent him to find, but he would almost certainly raise hell if he didn't return to his office with them. "Well, she's gone now and I'll be able to focus again. He's a bastard, but he's a real pussy when it comes to women. He lets them walk all over him."

_Charming, but I hope you don't speak like that around the general or his troops._

"I'm very sorry sir."

_The girl doesn't matter. Tell me of his meetings with the senate. What was his decision?_

"I, uh, don't think he's going to run. There have been calls all morning from the senate and the newspapers, all screaming at me for information on his refusal to seek the presidency."

_What? We need him in that office. You told me that it was a given that he would..._

"Er, I thought it was, but he seems to not care that..."

_I've heard quite enough. I appreciate your hard work, Anthony, but I'm very disappointed in your handling of this situation._

"Sir, please, I just need a bit more time to..."

_No. I suppose this is my fault. You are simply too young and you don't understand why we have no more time to wait while you grovel and whine._

"But sir! I've done everything you've asked me to do! I've completed every task as quickly as I could, but there have been complications with the general's..."

_I'm afraid you don't understand. I will gladly admit that I'm very pleased with the information you've gathered, but while you remain glued to his side, your usefulness extends only so far. You have done an excellent job, but it's time for the next phase in my operation._

"Sir, please, I can still..."

_No. I am proud of you, Anthony, but I'm beginning to think that I should have sent someone else._

"Sir, if you had sent anyone else, they would have killed him. There have been times when I would have liked to put a bullet through his skull myself, but if you had sent some of the others, we would have had the entire Galbadian army on our heads for assassinating their leader."

_You do make a very good point. The others wouldn't have been nearly as...patient for such a extended period of time. I wish that I had been younger so that I could have taken your position myself, the 'devil on his shoulder', so to speak. Ah well. It's just as you said; some are better suited to reconnaissance and others are better suited to action. If I had been younger and in your spot, I would have probably planted a bomb in his toilet or shot him in his sleep. I wasn't the most even-tempered youth, but age has taught me many lessons. I should have used scouts like you years ago instead of wasting time and resources bombing news-stands and train stations._

"Sir, I appreciate the compliment..."

_That was far from a compliment. I forget sometimes that brains and ambition aren't enough. You are certainly intelligent and very patient, but you lack what we need to achieve our goals. Perhaps I should have sent a pretty girl with a phD. He seems to value the opinions of intelligent women more than he does those of a turncoat sycophant._

Turncoat. Alexander knew _nothing _of his loyalties. He had no right to insult him when he was sitting in Timber, reliving his glory days as a revolutionary to the men at the pub. "If I'm given just a little while longer, I'll be able to persuade him to run for the presidency. Then we will have access to the highest..."

_No, that will never work. You've told me yourself how little respect he has for you. He'll never listen to your suggestions, no matter how hard you try._

"Sir, I'll make it happen."

_How?_

"I have something in mind."

_One more week. I'll give you that, but I want results._

_I should have never said those things to her._

_

* * *

_

Quistis grimaced when both aspirin decided that they were happier dissolving on the back of her tongue instead of in her stomach. She reached for her coffee to wash them down, but choked when her office door slammed open and a friendly voice yelled, "Hey there Instructor T!"

So much for spending the rest of the afternoon locked away with a cup of coffee. Quistis swallowed and wiped her lips on the back of her hand. It wasn't the most graceful of motions, but the visitor bounding into her office certainly wouldn't mind. He was known to keep an extra hotdog bun on his plate to use as an edible napkin, so dabbing a bit of coffee off of her mouth wouldn't offend him. "Good morning Zell."

"Look, do you have a minute? I need some help."

"What's the matter?" It had better be something she could fix in a hurry. She fully intended on brooding over her conversation with Rinoa while fighting her impending migraine, but she knew she wouldn't be able to think while Zell was bouncing around her office.

"Okay, so you're a chick, right?"

"Well, if by 'chick', you mean woman..."

She was interrupted by a faint clacking sound as Zell fidgeted with the device on her desk. There was a small office toy given to her by Xu when she was promoted at the end of the war, but she rarely even noticed it anymore. The clicking of the suspended steel balls usually drove her mad, but there were times when just thinking about the card that accompanied that particular gift made her laugh. _Congratulations, Bitch! You have the world by the balls now. Just think of that every time you knock these around! Love always, Xu._

Zell pulled one of the balls back as far as it would go and released it so she could feel the vibration from the contact between the steel orbs. He grinned and crossed his arms. "Yeah! Woman! One of those! That's what I meant!"

She was glad that she had never shown that card to Zell. He wouldn't have appreciated the joke.

"Then yes, I'm a _chick_." Had it been anyone else bouncing on the soles of his feet and jabbering about chicks, Quistis might have stood from her paperwork and decked him, but considering that it was just Zell, she decided to let the remark slide. His heart was in the right place, but his terminology needed some work.

"Right! So anyway, I've got a really big problem and I need some female advice."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Quistis sighed, "Oh God, not this again. Tampons are _not _spring-loaded, Zell. We discussed this after you tried to launch one of Selphie's across the cafeteria during..."

"Eh, no. I'll never forget _that _lesson. Those rhinestones in her boots _hurt!_"

The tampon incident resulted in a metal detector being installed at the main entrance and a low-level SeeD stationed at the supply doors for the kitchen. Selphie rarely lost her temper, but when it did happen..._things_happened. All flatware had been replaced by disposable plastic cutlery after _that _infamous afternoon.

"Hm. I'm sure they do."

Zell seemed disappointed that Quistis didn't want to take his side. He pouted a bit and rolled a pencil across her desk, mumbling just loud enough so she could hear how much she hurt his feelings. "I still have a tic in my jaw, you know."

"Yes, I was surprised that she could kick that high. She has tremendous reach for such a short girl, doesn't she?"

"Tch. Yeah, I guess..."

It was difficult to contain her amusement, but Quistis was able to maintain a mercifully neutral expression. Zell's pride would have taken quite a blow if she had laughed as loudly as she wanted. She stuck her pen behind her ear and gave him her full attention. "I'm very sorry. What was it you came to ask me?"

"Hell, it's nothing really."

Aw, something really _was _upsetting him. "Zell. I'm far from stupid. You never visit me unless something is bothering you."

"Well..."

He reached for the toy again, but she grabbed it and moved it underneath her desk. "Please tell me what's troubling you."

"Tch. Alright. So I was thinking about asking Evie about doing the whole...you know..."

Quistis raised an eyebrow. "The whole what?"

"You know, that thing you do when you really dig someone...eternity and all that stuff."

"You want to bury Evelyn?"

"What? No!"

"Then I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."

"Yeah you do! I mean 'dig' like you're really into them. Like how Squall is into Rinny and how Irv is into Selphie. You know!"

"Oh! Yes! I understand you now." Quistis stood from her chair and walked around her desk to give him a quick hug. He wanted to ask that delightfully shy girl from the library to marry him. No wonder he was acting so nervous! "Congratulations!"

Zell raised both palms and quickly waved her off. "No! Don't congratulate me yet! I still have to pop the question and I don't even know how to do it."

"Well, just ask her."

"Grr! I can't just _ask _her! I have to do something fucking awesome so that she knows that I think she's the greatest chick alive! You're the smartest chick, er, woman I know! I need you to tell me what to do!"

"That's very sweet and I'm glad you thought to ask me for help, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to assist you."

"Oh come on! You have to!"

"Trust me. I'm the very _last _person on this planet that you want to speak with for romantic advice." Uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was heading, Quistis gently pushed him towards the door. She had a lot of work to do. There were only enough test papers to grade to keep her occupied for three or four hours, so spacing them out to take up the entire weekend was proving to be a bit of a challenge. She would have to assign more work to her students so she could keep a tighter grip on her sanity.

"No you aren't! If you can't help me, then I'll talk to Ma, but I really, really want you to be the one to tell me how to ask her!"

"Then I'm afraid that you'll have to speak with your mother. I can't help you."

"Please!" Zell stopped just outside of her office door and ran his fingers through his hair. He had been so worried about speaking with Quistis that he hadn't even spiked his hair to its normal gravity-defying style, so being able to touch it without his palm adhering to gobs of gel unsettled him more than he cared to admit. The only person that ever saw him without product in his hair was Evie. It might hurt her feelings if she saw him wandering the halls of Garden with drooping spikes.

Cramming his hands in his pockets, he kicked at the wall and left a scuff mark along the baseboard. What would his Ma say? It wasn't only Evie that he wanted to surprise. He had long envisioned bringing Evie home and walking through the front door with his new fiancé wearing a big diamond and an even bigger smile. If they were lucky, Ma would be so surprised that she'd cook a huge celebratory dinner for them.

Stupid Irvine and stupid Quistis. They were the only ones that knew about it and neither wanted to help him. He kicked once more, just in case the wall didn't understand that he was disappointed, then turned so he could go back to his room and think of some other plan.

"Zell?"

He stuck his head back in the door and eagerly asked, "Yeah?"

She didn't raise her eyes from her test papers. "Nobody comes to me for advice. Why did you ask me instead of Rinoa or Selphie?"

Oh. Oops. He had planned on being the only one to ask questions. Quisty was just supposed to answer them, not ask them. "Umm...do I really have to tell you?"

"I would appreciate it."

"See, the thing is..."

"Spit it out. You'll not hurt my feelings."

"Well..." Zell nervously rubbed the back of his head and tapped his toes on the floor. It might have been a better idea to ask either one of them, but Rinoa would have sent him to Evie's window to serenade her with a badly written song...and Selphie would have told him to tie the ring to a bottle rocket and send it _through _the window. They both knew all about love, but they also had funny ideas about it. Quisty lived in the real world and saw things the same way Evie saw them. "See, the thing is, you kind of suck at the whole love thing."

Okay. She lied when she said that he wouldn't hurt her feelings.

"Then why the hell would you come to me for romantic tips?"

"Aw hell, I knew you'd get mad at me."

Lifting her glasses, she rubbed her eyes and tried to think of the best way to tiptoe around Zell's perpetually injured feelings. "I'm not angry with you. I just don't understand your logic."

"Logic? Naw, I never touch the stuff. Bad for your health, you know."

"If I 'suck' so much at romance, then why ask me to help you? Rinoa or Selphie could tell you how to..."

"Well, that's it!"

"What's it?"

"They already have love and all that bullshit figured out. You seem just as clueless as I am, so I thought that you would be the best chick to ask."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand you."

"Okay, so it's kind of like when you were seeing Rinoa's dad. He sent you flowers and did all that romantic shit, right?"

"On occasion, yes. Fury would send me flowers, though I don't think he realized that all I wanted was for him to..."

"So even though he did all that traditional romantic stuff, it still didn't work out for you."

Quistis clasped her hands together on the desk so Zell wouldn't notice how they started to shake. She smiled brightly and said, "No. It didn't work out, but that's okay. I'm much too busy to worry about things of that nature at this point in my life anyway."

"Umm..." Zell gulped. He had never been able as smooth as Irvine, so pretty words weren't easy for him. He hadn't meant to make Quisty uncomfortable, so he felt terrible that she was trying to do those weird things she did when she was unhappy. He had seen it a million times before, first during the war when Squall started walking slower to accommodate Rinoa's slower pace, then later when he sought her opinion over Quistis' on everything from sleeping arrangements to methods of travel. Quisty had smiled her glass smile then too. Sure, it was pretty and shiny, but when he'd take a really close look, he could see that it was full of bubbles and cracks. "See, the way I figured it, if you could tell me what _you _want from a guy, then it would make more sense to Evie than something like roses or candles or something like that. You're real smart like she is, plus both of you laugh at those shows where people drink tea and talk all proper and hoity-toity, so I thought you might know what she'd like."

She supposed that she should have been flattered that he thought enough of her to seek her opinion, but he just made her feel worse than before. Even her coffee was starting to taste bad. "I'm very sorry, but I'm afraid that I still can't help you."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, but it was worth a shot, right?" He waved goodbye to her and turned once more to leave.

She envied his stability and patience. Hell, she even envied his immaturity and quick temper. At least he was in tune with what made him _Zell. _She would have given anything to know what it meant to just be Quistis.

"Zell?"

"Yo!" He spun on his heel and stuck his head back through the door. "What's up?"

"Before you leave, I do have one question."

"Shoot."

"Do you love her?"

To be so intelligent, there were times when Quisty could be dumb as hell. Zell felt sorry for her. "Who? Evelyn? Hell yes!"

Quistis smiled. "Then maybe you should just tell her that you do."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

There was silence as he processed her words. He was still trying to figure out what she meant by his refusal to acquiesce to accepted norms of fashion. She must have really been having a bad day if she wasn't even using big words. "Sooo...no ring in champagne or fancy restaurant or anything like that?"

"No, I think that hearing you say that will be more than enough. She's a clever girl and I think she would appreciate that more than she would some grand gesture."

Zell watched Quistis for a moment. "So are you telling me that all _you _want is to hear some dude tell you that he loves you?"

"We're not talking about me."

"We're not?"

"No, we're talking about Evelyn."

"Oh. Right."

Quistis rolled her eyes and wiggled her pen towards the door. "Go find her and let me know how it goes."

"But...what'll I do if she says no? What'll I do if she says _yes?"_

"I'm sure you'll think of something, but get the hell out of my office. I have a lot of work to do."

_Instructor 14, please report to the commander's office..._

Quistis groaned. "And now I have to deal with Squall."

"Yikes. He's been in a real mood lately. I don't think marriage agrees with his digestion."

"I don't think he's calling me to discuss his digestion, Zell."

* * *

"You wanted to see me?"

Squall looked up when he heard Quistis tap on his door. Gesturing towards an empty chair, he silently asked her to take a seat and tried to quickly finish his telephone conversation.

Looking around his office while she waited, Quistis was always surprised to see that it wasn't as spartan as she would have imagined it to be. His gunblade was mounted in a silver case just over his desk and he kept a stack of _Weapons Monthly _magazines on the floor next to his chair. He even had a small bouquet of flowers on his desk. Probably a gift from Rinoa. Even though she felt like she was finally over her long-standing crush, it still hurt to see that she knew so little about him.

"Right. Yes. Fine." Finished with his conversation, he placed the phone on the receiver and mimicked her earlier behavior, rubbing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I hate this job, Quistis."

There had once been a time when she would have done almost anything to get him to tell her something about himself, even if it was just whining about his job, but now that he felt relaxed enough around her to share his innermost thoughts, she found that she quite simply didn't give a damn.

"Did you call me here so you could lament your position, commander?"

Squall chuckled. "No, but I knew that you're the only other person in this entire school that spends Saturdays in your office. I need to ask you to do something for me."

Great. She wondered if she should have just gone sky-diving with Xu. At least then she wouldn't have had to worry about playing psychologist for all of her friends. If they would just talk to Rinoa, then they'd all realize that her advice was complete shit. "What can I do for you?"

"It's actually personal and I hate to ask you, but..."

Her eyes narrowed. "It's about Rinoa, isn't it?"

"It is."

"I suppose she called you about breakfast, didn't she?"

Perplexed, Squall raised his eyebrows and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"She didn't tell you what I said?"

He shrugged. A bitter part of her wanted to snap her jaws shut and leave his questions unanswered, but she just wasn't like that. It was fine for her to have nobody to talk to, but she was such a sucker. When her friends were in trouble or needed her help, she couldn't ignore them. "She didn't tell you what I said at breakfast this morning?"

"Breakfast?"

"Never mind. I'm sure she'll tell you about it later."

Curiosity got the better of him when he saw the pained expression on her face. He figured that he owed it to her to see what was wrong. She had tried so many times to help him, so it was the least he could do. "Well, you could tell me if you..."

"No."

Squall tapped his fingers on the desk and waited, but Quistis never seemed to volunteer information about herself anymore. He felt somewhat ashamed that he never bothered to ask her how she was doing, except when it involved Rinoa as well. "Anyway, she just called me a few minutes ago and said that she was heading to Deling City. Her dad is in the hospital and she..."

"What?"

"Yeah, she just called from the train station and said that..."

Quistis felt the air in his office become heavy and thick. Fury was hospitalized? What was wrong? What happened? Was he okay? Squall's mouth was moving but she wasn't able to hear what he was talking about.

"...and I can't leave until Monday, so I wondered if you would be able to go see about her."

"What?"

"Could you please see about Rinoa until I can get there? I'm worried about her and I can't send anyone else. I trust you more than I do anyone. You've always taken care of us and I need you to check on her."

He trusted her with Rinoa. What an idiot. Could he not see that she had hurt her more than anyone else in a very long time? She wanted to kick herself when she imagined what Rinoa must be thinking on her way to see her father. Why the hell had she said such terrible things to her? Why hadn't she tried to help her instead of trying to prove that she had a worse childhood? Why had she been so selfish?

"Did he-did he say what was wrong? Has he been injured? Is he ill? What's happened to Fury?"

"I'm not sure. She was so upset when she called that I couldn't get much information from her. His sergeant left a message for her to come to Deling as fast as possible."

"His sergeant? Anthony?"

Squall nodded. "I believe that's his name, but I'm not sure."

That seemed odd. Either Fury was already on his death bed or something was going on that had very little to do with his health. He _never _left messages for Rinoa and he certainly never allowed Anthony to make his calls when it involved his daughter. "Why didn't she wait on you? What did he tell her?"

"I don't know, but I've not heard her cry that hard in a long time. Please go check on her. I'll talk to Cid and see if you can take one of the Garden cars. It's a faster trip if you can get one of the ferries to take a car over the gulf."

Quistis chewed her bottom lip and nodded. "I'll leave just as soon as I swing by my office and grab my whip."

"Why do you need that?"

Absently waving her hand, Quistis replied, "Hmm? Oh, I just like to have it with me when I travel. There are some unpleasant men in bigger cities, you know."

* * *

Whip packed and headache forgotten, Quistis hurried to lock up her office so she could see what mischief Anthony had planned for Rinoa. The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her to know that someone was using the poor girl's confused affections to further their own agendas.

And thinking about that didn't exactly make her feel too proud of herself, either.

"She said yes! She said yes!"

"Oof!"

Too excited to notice that Quistis was in lost in her thoughts, Zell leapt into her office and knocked her to the floor, sending her whip flying across the room. Picking her up and quickly dusting her off, he bent over her desk to retrieve her favorite weapon. He gave her a sheepish grin as he coiled it around his arm and gently placed it back in her hands. "Umm...going on a mission?"

"Of sorts. I'm going to Deling City."

"Great! I need to get a ring, so I'll tag along!"

Quistis rubbed her bruised elbow, but still managed to smile through the pain. "You mean that she accepted your proposal without a ring?"

"Well, sort of. I mean, I _had _a ring, but it was _way _too big, so I need to get it sized down for her. She didn't want me to take it back, but I told her that I wanted it to be perfect for her, so she finally said okay." He giggled, then beamed at Quistis. "She said _yes! _Can you believe it? That fucking rocks, doesn't it?"

Laughing, Quistis pushed him to the door. "I'm very, very happy for you, though I wouldn't recommend telling your mother what you just told me."

"Why not? She'll be really surprised if I tell her to just show up at the ceremony without warning her about...ooooh! Yeah, I guess telling her that it fucking rocks would get me slapped in the back of the head, wouldn't it?"

Ma Dincht was rumored to be the reason that all the Dincht boys took up martial arts instead of learning to use other weapons. She had a lightning-fast hand that her boys learned to dodge very early in life. Quistis had spent a few rainy afternoons playing cards with the matriarch of the Dincht clan, amazed that all her sons could be so well-behaved in her presence. They raised hell once outside of their home, but when it was dinner-time with Ma, they were perfect angels.

Walking alongside Zell on the way to the elevator, Quistis tried to imagine what might happen to him if he started one of his curse-filled rants in front of his beloved Ma. "No, I don't think she would like to hear you say things like that."

"Yeah, you're right." Carefully patting the pocket that held his precious, precious ring, Zell wondered why Quisty was leaving on a Saturday afternoon to go _all _the way to Deling. "Anyway, so why are you heading to Deling?"

"I need Fury and I need him _now_."

Zell stopped walking. That was just _way _too much information. "Eew! Do you mean you _need _him, or do you mean that you just need to see him, 'cause I really think I might go a bit later if I'm going to wait on you to..."

"Does it bother you that much that I'm interested in an older man?"

"Eew! Er, I mean...no..."

The elevator opened with a sunny 'ding' and they entered to descend to the first floor. Zell looked at Quistis out of the corner of his eye. He just couldn't stand it anymore. "Okay, I can't take it. Why the hell do you care so much about that old bastard?"

"I just do."

"But...he's so old!"

Quistis smiled. "Yes, but he's an excellent kisser."

Zell covered his mouth and swallowed hard. "That's just..."

"I thought you said it didn't bother you."

"It's not that, not really anyway. I just have trouble picturing you with _anybody, _much less some old guy_. _The only way this could be any weirder would be if you told me that you were dating...hell, I don't know, Seifer or somebody like that."

It had been a very bad day and it promised to be an even worse night, so Quistis figured she should get her kicks while she could. "Well, who's to say that I didn't date Seifer at one time?"

"Oh God, I'm _so _not hearing this! La, la, la, la, la..." Zell stuck his fingers in his ears and continued singing until long after they had reached the garage.

Suddenly, Quistis dating Rinoa's dad didn't seem all that bad.

* * *

Note: Wow, it's been a long time since I added anything to this fic. I'm pretty sure that I have the rest of this story kind of figured out, so maybe I'll have it finished before fall. It's funny though...I hate Rinoa. Always have. Just can't help it. But what's funny about it is the more I work on this ficcie, the more I want her to have a happy ending, almost as much as I want Quistis to have hers.

And yes. I'm a big Quistis/Seifer fan, so I couldn't help but at least _mention _Seifer in this fic. Have you ever read those fics where he is supposed to be a secondary character, maybe just there to add a bit of conflict or confuse the female leads? Yeah, I can't do those. He has such a forceful personality that he takes over whatever fic he happens to be in, no matter how appealing the male lead. It's that Rhett Butler syndrome.

Oh yeah. There was a fairly obvious Gollum reference in there too.

Thanks also to altol for the advice! I really, really appreciate it!


	12. Recognition

_Okay, so the lilies will be ready the day before the ceremony and Selphie is going to get up early to decorate. Check. _

_Cake is ordered and Irvine has agreed to guard it from Zell. Check._

_Invitations have all been confirmed and reception is set. Open bar. Hmm. Will have to arrange for drivers and extra rooms at the inn, especially since Watts is coming with that girl I told him to dump two months ago. Check._

_Squall won't answer about rings, so I know he has them hidden in his sock drawer. Probably in that gray pair with the holes that I hate so much. Check._

_Dress needs that tiny alteration. Should be done today. Will try it on again this week. Check. _

_The blue looks really good on Selphie and Elle, but it'll look super-good on Quistis. At least I think it will. It's basically the same color as her eyes, so she'll be really pretty! If she'd just try it on! Grr! Speaking of which, she hasn't even answered me yet about being a bridesmaid and the wedding is soooo close now. I've already planned everything so I'd have three maids and she won't even go to a fitting. _

_Wait. I'm mad at her. I shouldn't care. _

_Urgh. I do though. I'm sure Selphie will drug her so we can drag her to the shop. _

_There. Check._

_Take that, Trepe. _

_Let's see..._

_What else is on my list? _

_Dad hasn't responded to his invitation. I need to know what he's going to do. I should be worried about my wedding! Not him! I should be thinking... wedding thoughts! I'm supposed to be worried about ribbons and flowers. I should be calling the fire department to have them on stand-by in case Selphie decides to have the guests throw cherry bombs instead of rice! Not this! Why does he have to DO this all the time?_

_I could ask him right now, but I really think I want to kill him. _

_Yes. I'll do that. I'll kill him and be back in Balamb in time for dinner._

_Check._

Rinoa felt her heart thumping furiously somewhere behind her right eye, which was curious since it felt as if it had earlier beaten itself out of her chest and plopped on the floor. She had known anger before, but this was something different. A different animal altogether, as Selphie would say. One with horns and big, shiny fangs. One that growled.

This was the sort of rage that dispatched wave upon wave of hardened soldiers to attack distant shores. If Rinoa had been the ruler of an empire, like that foolish king in that old tale, she would have gladly launched a thousand ships to bring back her father's head.

"You're not dead."

Unbelievable. He really wasn't dead.

"Should I be?"

He was fine. He even looked tan. Practically...ruddy. Damn his insistence on exercise and fresh air.

"You're supposed to be dying."

Fury dabbed the tea stains on his trousers while he tried to determine if that was a threat, request, or a state that he should have been in years ago. "As you can plainly see, I'm fine. A bit perplexed and I'm not happy that you made me spill my tea, but perfectly fine."

Exhausted and dirty from spending hours on one train, then another, renting a car, reaching another train station, then renting_ another _car just to reach Deling City, Rinoa just didn't think she could share his condescending amusement. Instead of finding her father gasping for breath on his deathbed, perhaps clutching a portrait of her mom to his chest in dramatic movie-hero fashion, Rinoa had burst into his sanctuary only to find him listening to public radio and reading the newspaper.

He was drinking cinnamon tea, for crying out loud!

Tea!

The very _nerve _of the old bastard! He could have at least been choking on toast! It would have only been polite after the hellish day worrying that she wouldn't be able to say goodbye to her dad.

Noticing the tight fists at her sides, Fury eyed the distance between Rinoa and his letter opener, then leaned back in his chair, well out of her reach.

"What on earth is this about?"

Rinoa tried to focus on the voices of the radio announcers, but their soothing tones only served to infuriate her. As they droned on and on about world events and Galbadian politics, she felt her heart beat all the faster.

"I rode _all_ day just to get here and you...you're not even sick!"

"Sick?"

Whatever _that _meant, of course. The closest he had been was that coughing spell a few days before this confusing episode, but it was nothing that should have suggested he was deathly ill.

Truth be told, the cough came about simply because he happened across Damaris during a late-morning walk and she had rather loudly proclaimed her disappointment that Quistis wasn't on his arm. The voice so finely honed to slice through every nuance of human emotion certainly hadn't left any curious Galbadian citizens questioning her intent. Each curse spat in her harsh accent clearly cut through the warm morning air, clearly demonstrating to all gathered on the corner of Market and Fourth streets that their respected general had done something terribly wrong.

He had been shamefully outmaneuvered and was forced to cough just so the townspeople didn't learn just what _Kri ta las punek _really meant. That was a vulgar phrase he hadn't heard since his days patrolling Trabian beer halls and ghysal smoke dens as a fresh-faced private. It had been a terrible attempt to disguise her words, something he might have attempted when he was a child, but subterfuge had never been his forte.

"If you're referring to the other day, then let me assure you that my cough was just a way to get your mother's old friend to shut her mouth before some old lady heard her say..."

At the mention of her mother, Rinoa suddenly slammed her hands on the desk and wailed, "He told me you were _dying! _I came here as fast as I...as fast as I...c-could and y-you're not..."

If he had been surprised to see her come home so unexpectedly, then he was totally stunned when she cornered the desk and locked her arms around his neck. She hadn't spared him so much as a friendly glance in so long that he didn't know how to respond. Arms locked at his sides, his hands clenched on the chair arms, Fury could only sit in confused silence as Rinoa wept into his shoulder.

So loud was her sobbing, that when a silent figure quietly closed the door behind them, neither heard the small click as the lock turned and the security system was activated.

* * *

"So what are we doing here?"

Sighing, Quistis brought her hand down from the door.

"We're checking on Rinoa."

Zell bounced from foot to foot, slapping his fist into his palm as he shifted his weight. Big houses made him nervous. Big houses owned by rich people made him nervous. This one in particular made him antsy as hell. Rich folks had weird things in their homes.

Fancy forks.

Butlers.

Talking birds.

Chandeliers.

...Bidets.

He hadn't forgotten that incident with that funny backwards toilet. Going up against a homicidal sorceress was nothing to the terror he felt when he saw water shoot to the ceiling after he flushed that damned thing. He had never been more relieved to risk his life than he was the night they left Caraway's mansion to kill a witch. "Well, can we hurry?"

"We just got here. Be patient."

Zell peeked into the azaleas, certain that he'd find a vengeful maid lying in wait with a length of garrote wire and a big smile. "I _am _being patient. I just don't see why we're waiting ten minutes at the door to..."

It was becoming more and more difficult for Quistis to obey her own commands. "I swear to God, if you ask me one more time..."

Knocking again, a bit louder than before, she resisted the urge to bounce along with Zell. He was right. It was taking much too long for their summons to be answered.

"Your boyfriend _better_ be dead, makin' us wait like this. 'S rude as hell."

"He's not dead, Zell." Quistis listened carefully for Anthony's footsteps. He was normally flinging the door open before the echoes of her knocks had time to die in the foyer. It was odd for him to make them wait so long. "And he's _not_ my boyfriend."

"I'm not calling him man-friend. That's asking a lot."

Quistis rolled her eyes, then stared at the door, trying to will it open. "You're missing the point."

Holding his palms up and shaking his head, Zell calmly tried to explain a thing or two about romance to his woefully ignorant companion. "Now, I know he's older than you, but no matter the age, the men in relationships are still called boyfriends. It's a rule, you know, so no matter how much you want to be...uh, literal, we can't call him a man-friend."

"I never asked you to call him..."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"I did not!"

Not one to give up, especially when he knew he was right, Zell said, "You got squinty."

"Squinty?"

"Yep." Looking around them, Zell wondered why there was no security or military personnel anywhere in sight. Even if the general wasn't ill, it didn't make sense that there wasn't a burly foot soldier to at least ask, _Halt! Who goes there? _He had actually been counting on it so he'd have a good story to tell his fiancée.

Heh. Not his girlfriend. His _fiancée. _How cool was that?

Almost afraid to ask, but too curious not to, she finally looked away from the door and fixed Zell with a pompous, though a slightly confused, glare. "Squinty? What does that even mean?"

"You know! Squinty! Like this!" Scrunching his face into an unflatteringly accurate impression of Balamb Garden's most famous teacher, Zell happily answered, "See? You get squinty sometimes, 'specially when you wanna correct someone."

"Urgh. Whatever. My point is, he's not my..."

"Man-friend."

"He's not my..."

"He totally is."

"He is not."

"He is. The old bastard is in love with you."

Quistis paused. She wished that she could believe that, but even if she had Zell's conviction, she knew that she would simply believe the opposite. "Stop saying that. I've not spoken to him in weeks."

Zell shrugged. He thought talking too much was a bad thing. He could listen or not listen to Evie for days and days, depending on what she wanted to talk about. Or not talk about, as the case might be. Starting to confuse himself, he began bouncing again. "So?"

"So he's not my..."

"Man-friend."

"What is it with that word today?" Quistis pounded on the door, determined to either get an answer or break it down. As her fist fell on the wood again and again, she yelled, "Are you trying to invent your own vocabulary?"

"Nope! I already did that once."

"You did?" The muffled sound of footsteps and curses could finally be heard on the other side of the door. Zell was going to elaborate, but Quistis raised her hand to silence him. "Never mind. Don't answer that."

"But you asked and I was...ooh! The door! Finally!"

Anthony opened the door and stepped outside, holding his hand on the brass handle just behind his back. He looked at them with an unfriendly sneer curling his lip.

Zell wiped his hand on his shirt and offered it to Anthony, beaming when he saw that he wasn't a ninja revenge maid. When Anthony refused to shake, he pulled back and looked at Quistis for help.

Quistis tried to be friendly, even though she was less than impressed with his manners. "Hello Anthony. We're just here to speak with Rinoa, then..."

Hearing a faint thump, then another, then something that sounded an awful lot like the times that he played football upstairs with his brothers, Zell stepped back and looked past the shrubbery to the windows on the second floor.

Glancing once more at Quistis, convinced that she wouldn't need his assistance with talk about polite society and crumpets and other important shit like that, he wandered along the length of the wall so that he could listen a bit more. The thumps ceased as he took a few steps, but he thought he could hear a distressed feminine voice just above...or behind...or...Wait a sec.

Where was that echo coming from?

Why the hell was Quistis crying?

And why the hell did that jerk slam the door in her face?

Jogging back to her, he tried to ask her what happened, but Quistis simply glanced at the door and sadly tugged at his sleeve.

"Hey? What's going on?"

Her unhappy voice would have broken the heart of even the most callous of fiends. "Come, Zell. Let's go. We're...not wanted here."

She dragged him a few feet away, stopping at the bottom of the marble steps so she could wrap her arms around his shoulders. Sobbing hysterically, moaning about unjust love, she spun him around so that he could see Anthony watching them from the window.

Awkwardly patting her on the back, he thought he saw Anthony talking on a cell phone, though he couldn't be sure with Quistis soaking his shirt with tears. "Er...Quistis?"

The keening sound that rattled his eardrums would have made Selphie beam in delight. Quistis sounded just like one of the actresses from her beloved soap operas. "Why am I cursed to love men that will never love me in return?"

"Um..."

"Alas! The fates are cruel, my dear Zell! Never fall in love, for you will soon find..."

The curtain fell and Quistis continued to whimper and groan, almost to the point that Zell felt he should be embarrassed for her. "You okay?"

She quietly whispered, "Is he still watching?"

"I don't think so..."

"Good. Now let's go." Sniffing once, she wiped her hand under her eyes and marched toward the gate.

Zell hurried to keep up. It wasn't fair that Quistis had such long legs. Trying to match pace with Quistis on a mission was like trying to outrun a scared chocobo. "Hey! What the hell was that?"

"What?"

"The crying and the-the alas and the snot stains on my shirt!"

Quistis smiled and hurried along the drive, eager to get out of sight. "Well, I had to make Anthony think that we're leaving."

"We're not?"

They reached the rental car parked a few yards away from the security gatehouse and Quistis hopped in the driver's seat. "We are. Get in."

"But you just said..."

Quistis revved the engine in impatience. "I know what I just said. Now get in this damned car before I leave you here."

Zell slunk in next to her, holding tightly to the seat when she spun out of the drive. "Where the hell are we going? Are we just going to leave after all this trouble?"

Directing the car towards the heart of Galbadia, Quistis related what Anthony had told her.

Zell listened carefully. "So Rinoa isn't here?"

"According to him."

That didn't make much sense at all. "And her dad never wants to see you again?"

"Never again."

Zell chewed his thumb while he processed this information.

"I guess this means he's not dying, if he is making plans to never see you, right?"

Quistis shifted gears and turned the car onto the road that would take them into the center of Deling City. "Very good, Zell."

"And I guess this means that he didn't want us to go in so we could talk to Rinoa, right?"

"I suppose so."

"Hm. That's kind of weird." Wild oaks and pines soon gave way to ordered rows of maple and ginkgo as the car wound deeper into Deling. Zell sat in silence as the trees became scarcer and the buildings crowded closer to the small car. "So..."

Quistis hummed to herself as she parked the car in front of the luxurious Galbadia Hotel. A valet tried to flirt with Quistis as he took her keys. She winked at him and asked that he have her car in a space with easy access to the street, so that they wouldn't have to wander through the parking deck when they returned.

"So that means we get to take a walk." she said matter-of-factly.

"A walk?" Zell spun around and looked up the street to an open-air cafe. His stomach growled at the scent of pasta and garlic bread, effectively deposing his brain for a moment. He failed to notice where Quistis was heading as he drooled over a plate of linguini and clam sauce. "What, are we going to meet Rin out here for dinner or something?"

"Not exactly"

They passed the cafe, though Zell memorized the address so he could return when this crazy day was over. That food smelled _way _too good to just bypass. What the hell was Quistis thinking?

And where was she going?

"So...what are we doing again?"

Quistis tilted her head towards the arch in the center of the city. "We are going for a walk, like I said."

"I thought we were here to check on Rinoa and your..." Recognition reared its ugly head and Zell stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. People hurried past him with shopping bags and boxes, some snorting as they went, but Zell ignored them all. His horrified eyes were only for the blonde dashing up the street , away from the restaurants and bars and towards Deling's most famous landmark.

"Quistis! We are not going that way! No!"

* * *

Note: Holy hell! It's been over a year since I updated this! Oh wow. Sorry! Forgive me. I've been REALLY busy.

Anyway! So, if this isn't the best, let me know and I'll fix it later. I'm writing this at work during a slow period between patients (done in two hours! Woo!) plus I had kind of forgotten what I wanted to do at this point in the story, so if it's really choppy, I'll improve it once I get back 'into' the fic and remember what I wanted to happen for Quistis, Fury, and everyone else.

Oh! As for Damaris and the Trabian curse she spouts at Fury, I just wanted to write her into the fic again at a later point, so I thought I'd reintroduce her so folks didn't forget her. I keep thinking that Trabian would sound like a very harsh, very guttural language, which is kind of sexy when women use it. (See: every Russian and German female spy in every movie ever made.) Tee hee!


	13. Division

"You may as well stop yelling. It won't do any good."

Rinoa's fists clenched in her hair. It was obvious that yelling was going to do no good, but it was either scream or punch her father in the face. There had to be some way to release the tension. It had been hours since they heard the lock snap, so she was tired, hungry, and she needed to pee. "You were doing plenty of yelling yourself until just a minute ago."

"He isn't listening."

Fury was tempted to drive his head through the door. It would serve him right. Of all the moronic things he had done over the years, allowing age and comfort to soften him had to be one of the worst. The general of the most powerful nation on the planet, locked in his own damned study. Pathetic. He should have had those locks disabled years ago. Of all the stup...

"God, you and your stupid locks."

Rinoa flopped onto the small couch reserved for guests and rubbed her eyes. She hadn't even taken her purse into the house, so she had no cell and couldn't call for help. The assistant must have clipped the phone lines, so the land line wasn't an option either.

"My stupid locks?"

It wasn't the fact that she called them stupid that surprised him, but rather that her thoughts mirrored his own so precisely.

"Yeah, _your _stupid locks. The ones you had installed when I turned fourteen."

"I didn't install them. I just never used them until you started running off."

Dark hair flew up and arched over her face as Rinoa blew a few strands from her mouth. "Please..."

"Surely you don't think you're the only one that's been locked in this room. I spent half my teenage years in here."

Oh God, he was going off on another of his childhood rants.

Wait. He never talked about his childhood. Ever. The few times that he had tried, she had only given him enough interest to avoid punishment for being rude. Her grandfather was a strict military man, her grandmother a socialite, and their son a rebellious hell-raiser until his mother's death. It had been her final wish that he settle down and begin pursuing a military career, but that was really all she knew about her father's old life.

"What?"

"I used to fancy myself a boxer, so I started training at a gym downtown. Father didn't think it appropriate, so he had the locks installed." Fury rolled his shoulders. He hadn't been able to break down the door even then, when he spent so many hours of his youth training and exercising, so he felt foolish for thinking that he could do it now. At least Rinoa hadn't laughed at him. "Your grandfather was... rather controlling."

Though he was wasted and gaunt lying in that hospital bed, it was clear that her grandfather had been an imposing figure. Barrel-chested, with a voice like a cannon, she had only met him once before his death, but that single meeting was plenty. He wasn't unfriendly, but he certainly didn't seem pleased by the tiny girl sitting on his son's lap. "Controlling? Must be hereditary."

Rinoa's fingertips met her thumbs in turn, first the index finger, then the rest until she reached the pinky, then back again. She still fidgeted, just like she did when Julia scolded her for running with that fork she used as a makeshift magic wand. Her tone was angry, of course, but she was clearly nervous. They hadn't spent so much time together in years.

"Then I hope any children you have won't hate you as much as you hate me."

The fidgeting stopped. "Any children I have will actually have _parents_."

"Like it or not, I _am _your father, so..."

Rinoa's eyes scanned the study. There had to be a way out of here. She had once removed every book on every shelf in an attempt to find a latch that would release the lock, but that trick apparently only worked in movies. Maybe there was a switch hidden under the rug? Turn the lights off and on in the proper sequence? "You've not been my father for years."

"I've tried to..."

"Stop it. Just...stop." She had no interest in arguing with him again, not when they were both being held captive and there was no way to escape the fight. "Paying for some flowers and a dress isn't going to change anything."

"I know that, but everything else has been..."

He was moving to the couch to sit next to her. Quickly standing, she paced the perimeter of the study again. "Come on. Help me look for a way out of here."

"Rinoa..."

"No." Tearing the rug from the floor and prodding the floorboards, Rinoa began searching again. "Not now. Please not now."

* * *

"Hey Quistis! Give me your whip!"

Tensing against an as-yet-unseen threat, Quistis scanned the corridor ahead. She peered past the meager circle illuminated by the flashlight, but could see nothing. "What? Why?"

"Over there! Look!"

An eerie white orb bobbed toward them, casting a ghostly mirror image of itself on the murky water.

"It's a sandwich!" Zell laid an excited hand on her shoulder, squeezing when she shook her head. "Ham, I think."

A sandwich. Of course it was. They had been wandering the bowels of Deling City for three hours and the only thing they could find was a sandwich. "Ham? How can you tell?"

"I know my lunchmeats." Zell dropped to his belly, reaching one arm over the edge of the catwalk. "I think I can reach it if I can snag it with your whip."

"What? You can't be serious."

"It's still in plastic, Quistis. It's perfectly safe."

"It's in a _bubble_."

"That's just the bag."

"A bag that happens to be filled with botulism." She had seen cans bulging from the strain of toxic gases released by bacteria, but she had never seen a sandwich surrounded by a floating bubble before. Considering their luck, that sandwich was probably attached to the forehead of some giant sewer subspecies of anglerfish. At least it wasn't glowing. He probably would have dived into the water to fetch it, waste-filled or not.

"Bah! It'll be fine!"

"It's floating."

He reached farther. Just a little more...

"It looks pretty dry to me."

"We're in a _sewer, _you idiot!"

"But it's in a baggie! Besides, if we don't get it, it's a cinch that someone else will beat us to it!"

Quistis grabbed his collar and dragged him back to his feet. Ignoring his whimpered protestations, she growled, "If I get you killed from a sandwich filled with death ham, your girlfriend will never forgive me. Now come on."

Zell would have argued. In fact, he planned to argue passionately, but then he remembered that he had some candy in his pocket. It wasn't a magic floating sandwich, but at least it was food. Cramming a handful of butterscotch in his mouth and dropping the wrappers to the floor, he contented himself with glaring at Quistis' back. As the pieces dissolved, he began crunching into them, determined to punish Quistis for denying him his lunch.

_Crunch._

_Step._

_Crunch._

_Step._

_Crunch, crunch, crunch._

Quistis stopped walking. Without turning, afraid of what she knew she would see, she calmly asked, "You're not eating candy, are you?"

The crunching stopped, but only because he had swallowed the first mouthful. "...mebbe."

"You want to commit gastronomic suicide? Then wait until we're done."

Candy wrappers rustled as he unwrapped another handful of butterscotch. "It better still be there. This isn't really filling."

The crunching resumed. Quistis walked faster, hoping that her footsteps would muffle the sound. "If it isn't, then I'll buy you two ham sandwiches. Is that fair?"

* * *

"Why did you... come here?"

Tendons stood out in Fury's neck from the strain. He was on one side of the study, trying to pull the boards from the recessed shelves on the wall.

"You know... why." Rinoa pushed harder, repositioned herself so that her legs were against the opposite wall, then threw her weight back into the massive freestanding bookshelf. Damn the man. Why did he feel it necessary to add more shelves? The study was full of them anyway. "And I've already tried that wall. Help me with this one. If we can...move it, we might find a switch."

They had moved all the books to the floor, but the shelf was constructed of the finest materials, so that meant the ironwood bastard was heavy. Nowhere else was there a switch, a button, a depressed tile, anything. There had to be something behind it, maybe under it. Fury looked for something that would serve as a strong enough lever to jam underneath the shelf. "I don't understand you."

Rinoa fell to the floor, though the rubber on the soles of her boots provided more traction, so her shoulders hit the ground first. Sweating and irritated, she mumbled, "And you've never tried, have you?"

"Just like your mother."

Rinoa threw a book at his head.

"Try breaking the window again, General. Use your head this time."

* * *

"Hyne, if you get us out of here, I'll never steal another hot dog from the cafeteria again."

The prayers started on hour five, but it wasn't until hour six that Zell began considering animal sacrifice. There had been a couple of rats skittering and whispering in the shadows. They seemed large enough to be mistaken for goats, or at least small dogs. Surely he could slap one of those on an altar to please the sewer gods so they could find their way out.

"We're not lost enough to get religious."

Tch. A non-believer. It figured. Quistis was a woman of science, not faith. "Hey, if you want to risk it, then you go ahead. I'm making sure I have my bases covered, so I'm talking to the big man upstairs."

A drop of water fell from the ceiling and slithered down Quistis' neck. By the time it reached her collar and soaked the fabric, she was praying too, but only for the patience to not eviscerate Zell. "I think a map would do more good than divine intervention."

_Crunch. _

"Damn it, would you stop it with those things?"

"I'm hungry!"

The heavy scent of butterscotch was turning her stomach in a way that the sulfuric stench of the sewer couldn't match. "It's disgusting."

"At least you don't hear my belly growling, Miss 'We'll eat lunch later'."

It wasn't fair of him to remind her that she was starving. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, skipping lunch until they reached the mansion, but now that they were six hours into what promised to be a long journey, she wished that she had listened to him.

"Do you remember any of this?"

Zell sniffed. "The smell. Definitely."

Why did he sniff? Why? Did he have to convince himself that they were talking in a dungeon filled with the shit of an entire city? Could he not tell without making it worse? "Ugh. I _meant _the path."

"Oh. Nope. I don't remember any of it." Zell looked left, then right, then walked left, changed his mind and headed right. "I was too busy holding my breath to notice."

"It isn't that bad." It was that bad. It was worse than _that bad. _She just didn't want to admit it.

He sniffed again, filling his nostrils with air that he imagined was green. No other color could smell that bad. If the air could wiggle, then it would have done that too. Everything about that place seemed green and alive, in the same way that zombies seemed alive. "That's because you eat those tentacle thingies from those plants. You're immune to stinky stuff."

Oh, he was asking for it. One push. That's all it would take. Just one push and she would be rid of him forever. She was tired of the teasing that her diet sometimes brought her. Marlboro tentacles were rich in vitamins and protein, which they often needed to supplement the carbohydrate-laden rations SeeD always carried in their packs. "They're healthy, you know. Very good for the digestive system."

Zell didn't care about his digestive tract. Iron Belly Dincht, that's what they called him.

Well, that's what he _wanted _them to call him. It seemed a good, solid name and one that would strike fear into the hearts, er, stomachs of his rivals during eating competitions. "They give you bad breath."

"They do not!"

"You've never wondered why the rest of us started a separate campfire when you roasted those things?" Not even Irvine, sensitive soul that he was, could be convinced to share a fire with Quistis when she brought down a marlboro. Her insistence that the tentacles were nutritious didn't sway any of them. Starvation seemed the better option.

"They aren't _that _bad. Piquant, perhaps, but well worth the smell to reap their nutritional benefits."

Zell rolled his eyes, but the effect was lost when she stalked off and left him in the dark. "Sure, Quistis. They aren't that bad and we're not going to die in the sewer and have our legs eaten off by glow-in-the-dark mutant alligator-men."

* * *

"Did you love Mom?"

Fury would have had a better idea of the time if Rinoa hadn't used the clock on the mantle as a projectile when she fashioned her sweater into a sling. It was lying in pieces just under the reinforced window, which seemed a waste of a perfectly good timepiece. She had excellent aim, though. He swore to take her to the shooting range when they got out of their prison.

"More than anything." She was sitting on the floor in the corner of the room, her knees tucked up against her chest and her chin resting atop them. Dust had settled on her hair, giving her an almost spectral appearance. The resemblance to Julia was so unsettling that he had to hear her voice again just so he could remind himself that his daughter was speaking to him instead of his wife's ghost. "Until you came along, that is."

"What happened?"

Kicking aside a book about Centran history, he muttered, "You know what happened. I upset her and she left."

"No. I mean, why did you..?" Rinoa bent her head so that she could hide her eyes behind her knees. "I mean, after that, when she didn't come back..? Why did you stop loving me?"

Had she really thought that? True, they fought and bickered. Yes, he had often ignored her, but had she truly believed that he didn't love her? The realization hurt worse than even Julia's death.

What to do?

Hug her? She would likely push him away.

Squeeze her hand? She would likely pull herself away. If she had learned nothing else from him, she had certainly learned to hide pain.

Julia was the one that knew how to handle her when she was upset. All Fury had ever been able to do was create funny voices for the characters in her storybooks. Leading armies was simple. This? This was impossible. "That isn't what happened. At all."

"That's what it feels like."

She seemed so tiny. He didn't know what else to do, so Fury went to the desk and poured two glasses of brandy, then sat next to her and leaned against the wall. He bumped her hand and offered one to her. When she accepted the liquor and threw it back, he followed suit, noticing that she inhaled afterwards exactly as he did, a single, sharp breath through the teeth to cool the tongue.

They sat in silence for a few moments, listening the radio that was still playing overhead.

_...are down after two days of heavy trading, though analysts expect an upswing during the..._

_...Galbadian national symphony will perform this Friday before the Estharian consul and his wife..._

"Rinoa?"

"Hm?"

"Did I ever tell you about the pirate king and the thief's daughter?'

* * *

"...and _that's _when he glued the feathers to my ass."

Quistis wasn't laughing.

Not one bit.

Not even when she recalled that Zell had been naked that day, except for his coat of pink chocobo feathers.

Not even when she remembered that Seifer dragged him into the quad and made him perform a one-man dancing chicken show.

Nope. She wasn't laughing at all, but her sides ached from containing it.

"I thought you did that to entertain the younger students."

It had seemed like a good idea to tell a story to pass the time spent underground, to make those long, dark passages seem a bit friendlier, but now Zell was lost in the humiliation that he had experienced at the hands of Seifer and his posse.

"He made me dance."

Oh yes, he had made him dance. It was the talk of Balamb Garden for the rest of the semester. Quistis had never known that chickens could shame strippers with their pole-dancing skills until she had witnessed Zell's avian gyrations. "He told me it was to boost morale."

"He made me sing."

"You do have a surprisingly nice voice."

Zell felt tears stinging his eyes. "He made me juggle."

Quistis bit her lip in an effort to tame the chuckles bubbling behind her teeth. "And that takes considerable skill and dexterity."

"I was scarred for life."

A series of collapsed bricks caught her attention. She remembered passing that pile of rubble the last time they had wandered through the maze of pipes and gates.

"And you've given dozens of children many happy memories. Now hurry. I think we turn left up here."

* * *

The skinny worm had taken the handgun Fury kept in his desk, even removing a pin from the lock in the antique musket he had displayed on the wall. The damn thing couldn't fire anyway, but he had to give Anthony points for thoroughness. It would have been nice if he had turned off the radio so he could think without being distracted by the near-constant stream of news floating overhead.

_...minerals used in mining expeditions have been shown to be useful in surgical equipment..._

"Why did he call me?"

Why indeed? What part did Rinoa have to play in his schemes?

_...during which the President said that he would sign the bill into law..._

"I don't know. I knew he was a sniveling bastard, but not a traitor."

What was his purpose? Extortion? It made no sense.

Fury flipped the guest couch on its side, stood on one of the mahogany legs, then used the leverage to pop the opposite leg from the frame. Good. It was stout, heavy, balanced. It also had a few furniture nails sticking out from its attachment point, so it would hurt a bit worse when Anthony stuck his head through the door.

"Why is he keeping us locked in here?" Rinoa wished that she knew more about the man that called her. Now that she had a few hours to think about it, the stranger it seemed that someone would call her with a plea for her to return to her father, of all people. All of their mutual acquaintances knew that they were often at odds, from her kindergarten teacher to that nice lady that used to cut her hair to all of the soldiers that used to wink and flirt with her when she attended military functions with him. "I just don't get it."

Fury took a couple of practice swings. Satisfied with the improvised club, he tossed it to Rinoa, then stood on the other end of the couch and repeated the process, fashioning another weapon for himself. "I don't know, but believe me, the second that door opens, I'm breaking his neck."

* * *

"...so you really dated him?"

Another wrong turn.

"Briefly."

Damn it. Where the hell were they?

"But..."

Turn left at the bricks, keep straight for two intersections, turn right. Right?

"Our union wasn't meant to be."

Why did he care so much who she dated? Quistis was losing the patience that she had earlier desired. It seemed a silly thing to maintain, anyway. Patience was over-rated.

"But..."

She wanted him to shut up so she could think.

"Destiny had other plans for us, I suppose."

"But..."

He wasn't going to stop asking. Spinning around, Quistis flashed her most mysterious smile and purred, "He was a _tiger_ in the sack, but..."

Zell choked on his candy.

"Zell? Are you okay?"

"_You_ _slept with him?"_

Had Zell's eyes always been that big? Or was he just that shocked? Either way, it was highly amusing.

"Well, yes. Over and over again."

Voice creaking like a tree in a hurricane, Zell moaned, "With him?"

Bless the poor lad, he seemed distraught. Quistis felt a sudden stirring of sympathy. "As I was trying to explain, our attraction was entirely sexual and our encounters became nothing more than snarling exercises in carnal competition, thus we could never have a lasting relationship."

That was even worse! "You. Slept. With. Seifer."

"On many occasions. Sometimes as much as six or seven times a day."

No, Quistis. Not with the bane of his existence. Not with the one that duct-taped him to the toilet in the girls' locker room. "Oh God..."

Was he going to vomit? Zell's face was greener than the water gurgling all around them. "I wouldn't recommend using the table in the staff lounge."

"Oh God..."

His stomach dropped somewhere below his knees, made them knock together, then crawled back into position, but only after flipping upside down first.

"Or the copier in the second floor mailroom."

No, no, no, no, no. Not only had they spent an entire afternoon traipsing through shit, climbing over rusted iron gates, and avoiding mutant urban alligators just so she could give some old man a kiss, but this was too much. "I think I'm gonna puke."

Take that, Dincht. He deserved it for the crack about the tentacles. "Or the...you know, I'm not going to tell you what we did in the cafeter..."

Butterscotch splashed on her feet.

Zell started to cry.

Laughter rolled from Quistis in long, loud waves. "Take deep breaths. Do you need to sit down for a minute?"

"It's on your shoes..."

She shrugged. "Well, we've walked through worse tonight, so don't worry about it."

* * *

"She does kind of remind me of Mom sometimes."

Seeing her father's beloved study in shambles had worked wonders for Rinoa's mood. She had a gash on her shin, dust in her hair, and her thumbnail had been split down the center from moving furniture in an attempt to form a ladder to reach the ceiling, but all in all, she was in much better spirits.

Now that all four legs had been removed for weapons, they had flipped the couch on one end so that Rinoa could reach the light fixture on the ceiling. They had searched all four walls for a way to make the door open, but they hadn't tried the ceiling yet. They figured that they should be able to break a hole through the plaster, then climb into that and escape. From her vantage point high above her father, she asked, "Did she ever tell you that she has a fan club?"

Fury held tight to the couch while Rinoa hammered the ceiling with the couch leg. "A fan club?"

"She hates it. They call themselves 'Trepies' and follow her all over the place. They leave flowers on her desk and write love notes, things like that." Plaster fell to the floor, covering Fury in heavy white flakes. Rinoa was panting from the effort, but she smiled when he started sneezing. "I'm actually surprised she kept the flowers you sent, considering how much she hates getting them."

Was he so out of touch? Had courting a woman changed so much? "That...does sound like your mother dealing with some of her fans."

Rinoa chuckled. "It's not just that, though."

"It's not?"

Standing on her toes so she could better reach a stubborn bit of plaster, she took the opportunity to think about her friendship with the older girl. Quistis was always willing to listen when Squall wouldn't, when she needed to ask for a tampon or some hairspray, when she wanted advice on going to college or finding a job. All she ever had to do was ask and Quistis was there to help. It was easier to ask her than it ever was to ask Selphie or Ellone. Selphie wanted to ask too many questions and Ellone didn't ask enough of them. Quistis simply listened, considered the problem in that way that reminded her of her mother, then offered a solution. It was comforting. "It's how she acts, how she moves."

"That would explain why Battle Cat liked her so much."

Battle Cat? The singer? He still called her that old nickname? "Heh. You still keep in touch with her?"

The couch lurched to one side and Fury had to hold tight to keep Rinoa from falling. "Of course I do. I don't dare offend that woman."

"I was really surprised by how young she looked." It had been shocking, if she wanted to be honest with herself, like looking at a porcelain doll. She wondered if her mom would have aged so slowly had she still been alive. Chipping at the plaster again, Rinoa remarked, "She looks exactly the same as she did when Mom was friends with her."

"That's because she's a Trabian succubus." Fury was pleased to see Rinoa drop to a sitting position so she could laugh without getting her nose full of dust. "You've never seen her except at night, right?"

"Dad! That's horrible!"

She was giggling, so he didn't comment on the fact that she called him 'dad.' Instead, he simply elaborated on one of the theories that he had considered over the years that he had been forced to remain in contact with Julia's bitch-friend.

"It's true. I bet she flies around that opera house and nests in the rafters during the day."

The image was very apt, especially since it was very possible. Rinoa had never seen that woman outside during the day. When Fury declined visits to the opera house, Julia often took Rinoa instead. They were invited to Damaris' dressing room on those nights, where Rinoa would grow bored of their talk and fell asleep in her mother's lap. It was more likely due to her vanity and protecting that ivory skin she was so proud of rather than any supernatural reasons, but if Deling City had a vampire, then he was right. It would definitely be her. "She'd kill you if she ever heard you say that."

It was his turn to laugh. "You know better than that. Death would be too tender a mercy from the Rose of Deling. She'd never do it because then I wouldn't be able to listen to her again. She enjoys torture too much for that."

Rinoa dropped the club and held onto the arm of the couch so she could laugh without feeling as if she would topple to the floor. "You're horrible!"

"And you're laughing, so you're just as bad."

Though her shoulders were aching, she felt somewhat better for the diversion, more focused and alert. Rinoa resumed her chiseling of the ceiling, tearing larger chunks of carved tiles down around their heads.

"You're going to have a time with Quistis. She loves to listen to her."

Fury smiled. He thought he could almost detect pity in his daughter's voice. "She does indeed."

Enough of the ceiling was now in the floor to allow her shoulders through, so Rinoa scampered through the hole and looked around.

"What do you see?" Fury followed the sound of her scratching and crawling in case she plummeted through a weak spot. He could hear her tapping on something that sounded depressingly solid, then scurrying back to the hole she created. He held the couch for her as she climbed down.

Shaking dust and insulation from her hair, she moaned, "It's no good. The wall extends to both sides, so we're either stuck here, or we have to find something stronger than a stick of wood to break through."

Both groaned and collapsed on the floor. The radio still played all around them, the newscaster unaware that the Galbadian general and his daughter were trapped by a turncoat soldier.

_... and researchers were surprised to discover that a nude skydiver fell onto their camp, stole one of their vehicles, and fled the scene. There is a reward leading to the arrest of this woman, whom authorities believe to be a corporate spy..._

* * *

"We're in Hell. We have to be."

They were close. Both knew it. The amount of trash floating in the water was decreasing, which Quistis assumed meant that they were outside of the city limits.

"Don't be ridiculous. Hell wouldn't have ladders."

"Sure it would. They just give people the impression that there's a way out of here."

"Well, look on the bright side. At least we're accustomed to the odor now."

Zell snorted. "Speak for yourself, Stinky."

That short little bastard. "You know, I think I might turn back and get that sandwich for you."

"Really?"

Something sparkled just ahead. Curious, they both ran to it and examined the silver flecks on the floor. Glitter. Finally. Quistis dropped to her knees and ran her fingers over the blackened metal fastening a corroded lever to the wall. She could see a scuff mark on the wall where Selphie missed her first kick. The second one had connected, knocking glitter off her boots when she slammed her foot onto it to free the sticky mechanism.

"Yes. You wait here, I'll fetch your sandwich, then I'll come back and shove it down your throat. The bacteria won't have the chance to kill you. I'll do it myself."

Zell tackled Quistis in a combination of revenge and excited gratitude.

"Look! It's glitter from those godawful boots she wears! We're under the mansion!"


End file.
